Stages of Love
by Redundant Hope
Summary: 'Love is more of selfless choices rather than feelings.' Mai needs to make a choice. A choice that would lead them both to happiness. A love story told in stages. NxM - Complete. Edit: Epilogue Added.
1. The Realization & The Doubt

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><span>Stages of Love<span>

Stage I - The Realization & The Doubt

The roses had started wilting.

Naru was not happy, so speculated Lin, who had mastered the art of recognizing subtle changes in his expression. Moreover, he kept staring at the roses kept in a vase, _on his desk_. He hated things other than files on his desk. On sudden realization that he was being watched, Naru shifted in his chair and raised his eyes to meet Lin's. Lin didn't need any more cues to avert his suffocating gaze. He coughed slightly - an apology in his style.

"We could just go back." He suggested after much of a pause.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Naru answered, his eyebrows quirked.

"You never know what I'm talking about." He said.

He watched Naru rise to his feet from the corner of his eyes. He was obviously under control, but something was bubbling inside him. Whether it was love or anger, Lin didn't care. He couldn't care less about the subtle changes in his behavior. He didn't want to care; he just was waiting for the time to come when he would burst, unable to control the lingering feelings that he still holds for a certain person.

Lin watched Naru put on his coat, hesitating for a second. He reached for the knob slowly.

"You might want to carry an umbrella." Lin offered.

"Typical weather." He muttered under his breath.

"We can always return to scorching summers in Ja-" Naru slammed the door as an answer to his suggestion. Lin sighed and went back to his typing.

Unknown to Lin, a soft smile tugged at the ends of a certain narcissist's lips.

...

The roses had turned black.

Naru was sitting at his desk as usual. He had no job since he had returned to England for his brother's funeral. Much to his annoyance, his father had restricted him from working at the S.P.R, saying that he was worn out. Maybe it was true. Maybe he was worn out from all the unfortunate events that had happened to him.

A knock on the door woke him up from his sublime thoughts.

"Mail for you, sir!" A cheerful voice greeted him.

"Get it Lin." Naru ordered, not wanting to part from his extremely comfortable chair. With an exasperated sigh, Lin collected the mail from an overly cheerful mailman and handed it over to Naru.

A sudden feeling of ecstasy fired through him as he read the address on the package. He opened the package rapidly yet neatly and reached for the small box in it. Opening it carefully he eyed it's contents and chuckled. A soft change in his expression, his eyes becoming warm as he held the box in his hands. Lin eyed him as he saw Naru shuffling through the contents. He smiled. Mai couldn't have given a better gift.

The box contained a whole bunch of pictures of the members of_ his_ S.P.R, mostly of riveting Bou-san with his undeniably funny poses and Mai. He noticed the other members too, but he cared to fix his attention on only one.

He slowly brushed his fingers over the outline of her face, smiling softly. Lin noticed the act and coughed, bringing Naru back to reality with a jolt. He glared at Lin, who pursed his lips, completely irritated by this dumb act of his.

"We can always return to Japa-"

"Shut up, Lin." He muttered.

Ignoring the disrespectful tone, he went back to his wife - that is his laptop and began typing with a vigor born out of irritation, anger and tenderness for the narcissist and his object of affection.

...

The roses were crumbling.

He noticed that he needed to get them off his desk, but he couldn't. He wondered what kept them chained to him. Sighing, he picked up the vase, removed the roses and headed to dispose them off.

"Are you sure?" Lin asked, he was slightly taken aback that he had finally decided to throw away something he had cherished for so long.

"What?" He retorted.

"It's nothing." Lin smiled.

Those roses had been lying on his desk for a few weeks. These few weeks might have been too excruciating for him. Naru had no will power to overcome this sudden violent feeling of - he left it at that. Lin did not need to think anymore. He was almost pleased with Mai's little trick of persuasion by sending those pictures. He wondered why he wanted to throw them all of a sudden.

After all Mai was the one who had given it to him.

He smiled wondering if she knew the true meaning behind those roses, bluffing with a pure, innocent facade while handing it to him. He wondered if she really meant that it was for Naru, given by the _team_ or was it that she meant just herself, hoping that he would understand. Naru slowly walked back to his desk and stared at the empty vase.

"We are going back." He said laboriously.

"Are we?"

"Yes we are." He answered firmly, gritting his teeth as he noticed the sly smile on Lin's face.

...

Packing the luggage was never difficult for Naru.

He just needed the same pair of clothes. But to Lin's surprise, his wardrobe held a lot more than just the usual clothes. After fussing over what to wear, he finally went to his mother with a rather stoic face.

"I need you to choose for me." He said with a straight, wooden face.

"Why is that?" Luella asked surprised. "Is there someone you want to meet in Japan?"

"Yes." He muttered. Luella noticed the slightly flustered expression that flashed over his face for a second.

"Are you going to-" She paused and made a circle in the air, a metaphor for proposing he guessed. He raised his eyebrows.

"I'm seventeen." He answered, completely annoyed.

"Oh, I'm asking for - later." She asked vibrantly.

"Maybe." He said. "Can we just get to work?"

"Oh! It takes more than just appearance to please a young lady!" She cooed. He stared at her with a rather displeased face.

After an hour or so, Naru was all packed. He was just waiting for the time for leaving to arrive. Luella was rather pleased that her son had finally opened up to her and that he was having lunch with her, instead of having it at his desk, in his room or rather office. Naru sipped the soup slowly, immersed in a train of thoughts. She smiled. Maybe Japan was the best place he could be at right now. She definitely had to kick him out of England if she wished to see her future daughter-in-law or so she thought.

His luggage was already in the car. All he had to do was say goodbye to his mother and his overly fussy father. Before leaving, he brought the vase from his room handed it over to his mother who stared at him, completely clueless.

"Keep roses in it." He said. Lin almost burst out laughing, but he contained it in with just a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Why do you need to leave England?" His father asked, in a final attempt to stop his son from going.

"Because," He paused eloquently, "there are more supernatural cases in Japan than in England." Luella and Lin shared a knowing glance.

"Time to conquer somebody's heart?" Lin said quietly, a question directed at the narcissist who completely ignored him. He got into the car and signaled Lin to get in too.

Maybe a narcissist in love with someone other than himself wasn't that bad at all.

...

Two weeks had passed since Naru first stepped into his dust-laden office. He clearly remembered telling the members that he might not return to Japan - but this? This was stupid. His whole office was smothered in dust, cockroaches and everything else one fears to imagine in a peaceful home.

His legs rested on the durable mahogany desk, his back bent on his chair and his arms placed restfully on his stomach. He almost dozed off due to the jet lag, something which he felt hard to get over. As soon as he let his guard down, a loud knock resounded on the office door. He rose slowly and opened the door with anticipation, which he experienced for the first time in his life. He almost banged his head against the door when he saw Bou-san enter with a broad smile.

"I knew you would be back!" Bou-san almost spread his arms to hug him but on a second thought he coughed and just ruffled his hair. "N-Nice to meet you, professor Oliver Davis." Naru sighed.

The next time he opened the door it was Masako, the third time he let Bou-san attend to it. Yasuhara and John were next. Ayako came in last. He watched the ticking clock. Gritting his teeth unknown to himself, he wondered if she was not going to come. He sighed for the umpteenth time, which did not go unnoticed by Lin. The others had already starting chatting as if this was a lounge made just for them. He waited and waited and before he knew it, it was already four in the afternoon. He had received a few clients in the time that had lapsed in anticipation. Masako served tea, while he conversed with his clients.

Naru felt uneasy. Did she not want to face him after what had happened? Did she hate him? He took up one of the files and began flipping through it desperately.

A knock on the door and he signaled Lin to attend to the door. He expected another client but the overly cheerful voice shook him by surprise. He almost slipped off his chair but he regained control over his slightly palpitating heart and raised his eyes to look at her. There she was standing cheerfully greeting everyone.

"Mai-san!" John echoed happily along with everyone else. "It is so good to see you again." Naru looked at everyone chatting up to her when he thought about inquiring as to why she was late.

"So how was school?" Bou-san asked.

"Boring as usual!" She huffed.

Naru's eyes were as wide as an ostrich's egg, which he quickly concealed with his hair drooping over them. School! He had completely forgotten that she was a school student!

"I baked cookies for everyone!" She smiled. "Who wants some?"

He looked at her waiting for her to greet him. Waiting for her to look his way - and she did. Her eyes crashing with his, not in a literal way but yes, they did meet. Almost immediately she blushed, guessing that he had been looking, scratch that - ogling at her. She smiled and bowed.

"Naru!" She exclaimed. "Been a long time isn't it?"

He understood that she was extremely shaken by his sudden appearance. She was nervous. Extremely nervous, he deduced. He nodded and went back to sitting on his desk. He was rather calm now and the content in the files seemed to be much easier to absorb. He smiled a little, but it disappeared as soon as he realized that she had noticed him at last when he had been anticipating her arrival for the whole day.

He felt - disappointed.

He wished he could just confront her, ask her if she - he stopped the train of thoughts.

What was it that he was going to ask? Why did he need to ask her? All girls definitely fell for him. He was too good-looking for them to resist. He smirked almost immediately after this thought crossed his mind. If he wished, he could have any girl he wanted. Maybe he messed up the first time, but there was always a second chance. All he needed was to check if she was still in love with him. Almost immediately his heart stopped - still in love with him? She had never been in love with him. She had loved his mirror image - _Eugene_. How could he possibly expect that she was even in love with him!

Burying his head in his hands, he sighed and a clatter woke him up from his depressed thoughts.

"Something the matter, Naru?" She asked concernedly. She kept the teacup on his desk and placed a plate of cookies beside it. "Ah! I forgot you hated sweet things!" She was about to remove the plate when he caught her hand in his.

"Leave it." He ordered and looked at her expressionlessly.

"O-Okay." She stuttered, her face turning red. He let go of her hand slowly, caressing her skin with his fingers. She was startled a bit, so was he - but he couldn't help it! She was completely flustered by his sudden action.

Naru felt the sudden urge to hold her in his arms. His mouth went dry from just the thought. He almost lost control, but the tea chained him to his seat. He sipped it slowly as he watched her walk away from his desk. He bit his lips and smiled at his inner urges. He already wanted to hold her, but he had to wait. Wait till she completely surrendered herself to him.

The thought made him ecstatic. It was a tough job but he would do it. He would definitely win her over.

He would definitely hold her in his arms one day.

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><p><span>Author's Note<span>: A very short story (using cliche's to death). I combined the first two stages together because I felt that the chapter would end up being too short. Hope you enjoyed the insight into Naru's mind. (Now proofread!)

Leave behind a review and anticipate the next (riveting) chapter!


	2. The Irritation & The Reasoning

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><span>Stages of Love<span>

Stage II - The Irritation & The Reasoning

It had just been a few weeks since S.P.R had been back in business, but cases were flooding in as if there was no tomorrow.

Naru was definitely irritated by the amount of people pleading him to exorcise the screaming spirits and the looming menaces in their house, yet there was a profound happiness in his heart for being able to work again. Working unstoppably was the only thing he derived pleasure from. He wondered if he did even have any guilty pleasure?

"Mai, tea!"

The assistant came in immediately after the call to attend to his demands. She smiled at him, completely annoyed with his tea-addiction. Placing it on the desk with a rather unwanted force, literally slamming it, the teacup cracked. Naru's desk was now officially a mess of files and papers wet with tea. The tea was everywhere, the floor, the desk and even (unfortunately) on Naru's clothes.

Immediately, the assistant blushed and started stuttering, but then a rather devilish expression, just as expected, took over his assistant's face.

"I'm sorry Naru," she apologized profusely, "It wasn't the least of _my_ intentions to get tea spilled all over _your_ hard work."

The sly smile spoke more truth than her lips. Smirking at her little victory of ruining his day, she failed to notice that he smirked at her with even more devilishness. She knew that the paperwork would keep him busy and the possibility of calls for tea decreased by ten percent. She almost squealed happily when her boss coughed.

"How about you start cleaning up the mess?" He asked.

"Uh, sure." She said, slightly disappointed that this was the best counterattack that he could come up with.

"And Mai," He began, "You are going to get all these papers redone again."

"What!" She cried, fuming with anger. "That's absurd! You are the _one_ who does _all_ the paperwork, I'm just supposed to file them!"

"Who spilled tea all over the papers?" He asked, looking at her, wooden-faced.

"F-Fine!" She hollered.

She left the room, blushing and quite furious with her boss. As soon as she left, Naru felt even more pleased than earlier.

Maybe he did have a guilty pleasure after all.

…

Dusk had set in. The office was illuminated with bright lights and so were the streets.

After filing up the remaining papers, Mai looked at the tower of papers to be redone. Ignoring it, she went into the kitchen, put the kettle on the stove and had readied everything required for tea-making except the fact that she had none to make from. Her boss had depleted every remaining resource of tea. She looked at the clock and decided that it was better if she had somebody to accompany her.

"Naru, accompany me to the shop, will you?" Mai called out to him.

"Ask Bou-san." He answered, highly engrossed in one of his client's file. Flipping the pages incessantly, he failed to notice his assistant tapping her foot in impatience. Unable to concentrate, he sighed and looked at her warily. "Ask Matsuzaki-san."

"Both of them are out." She answered. "Nobody is in the office, not even Lin-san."

Even though Naru hated being dragged around, he was currently being forced to shop with his assistant. She was bargaining at the counter relentlessly. He coughed, expressing his displeasure at her parsimony. She continued to ignore him and went ahead with the war of words she was currently having with the woman at the counter. Naru pushed her aside to make her stop.

"What?" She huffed. He felt no need to answer her. She ignored him and went back to her earlier doings.

"Mai." He began. "I'll pay."

Paying the lady her amount, he turned to her and raised his eyebrows. Taking the bag full of purchases from the lady, Mai smiled at her - a cold smile. The lady offered her the same but she turned warmly towards Naru and bowed. He nodded and bowed slightly. After settling things smoothly, Naru pulled the door of the shop for Mai courteously and walked with her, headed in the direction of the office.

"I'm not paying you back." She said out of the blue.

"I never asked you to." He answered. "Miser." He breathed quietly, but he kept it audible enough for her to hear.

"Well it's not like I'm buying something for myself, it's for your tea. Much better if you pay it yourself!" She retorted, her reasoning completely stupid.

"You don't drink tea." He said slightly amused at her. Mai blushed. Looking at him angrily, she stuck out her tongue.

"Plus, you should be careful of how you spend-"

Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. Moving closer to the window of the shop, she stared through the glass. Immediately she handed the purchases to Naru, went in speedily, ransacked the store, payed the shopkeeper and came out joyfully holding something in her hand which became her object of her attention for a while.

"He is gorgeous." She mumbled happily. Staring at the front cover of the magazine she held in her hands, he frowned.

"…" He felt a little annoyed that she was rather engrossed in flipping the pages of the magazine, than in paying attention to him - not that he talked much. Even after returning to the office, she kept staring at the cover page. She had completely forgotten about the paper-work, the tea. It was almost as if she was relaxing at the beach.

Rather displeased with his assistant's love-struck behavior, he reminded himself that she was just infatuated - which was quite normal for young women. He kept repeating the same thing in his mind, that this infatuation of hers was _temporary. _All women were the same, exactly as men - engrossed in something that they can't have._  
><em>

But he couldn't deny that he was _irritated._

After a while, he ordered his assistant to bring his dose of tea. While waiting for the tea to come, he looked at his now clean desk and wondered if she had managed to get all the pages rewritten. Soon enough, his assistant came in cheerfully keeping the teacup on his desk. Much to his annoyance, she still carried the magazine in her hand. Absentmindedly, she placed the magazine on his desk when she collected the previously empty teacups and prepared to leave, forgetting about it's existence for a few seconds.

Naru looked at the cover with a menacing expression. Immediately enough, his assistant came searching for it. She was about to reach for it, when unknowingly or knowingly he let the cup slip from his hands. The tea was running all over the desk, the marbled floor and also over Mai's precious magazine. She stared at him, her eyes wide enough to make him raise his eyebrows. It's not like blood had been spilled, it was only tea.

"Why did you do that?" She hollered, glaring at him. She took the magazine in her hands, dripping with tea, while she tried to dry the cover page. Accidentally, the page ripped as she tried to wipe off much tea from it. She screamed.

"My hand slipped." He said stoically.

"N-No! It didn't!" She fumed. "I know you wanted revenge for earlier!"

"Not really." He said coolly.

"Just because I couldn't get the paperwork done! That is really mean!" Mai continued her cries. "I just spent a good deal of money on it!" She flung the completely wet magazine on his desk angrily.

"Really Mai, even if you failed to get the paperwork done, Lin already has a copy of _everything_ in his laptop." He muttered, rather irritated that she cared more about a silly magazine. He looked at her with a slightly surprised expression when he realized that he had let it slip unknowingly.

"_What_! Then why did you ask me to-!" Her face reddened with anger. "You conniving jerk!"

She stormed out of the office.

"You didn't really need to go that far." Lin muttered unhappily. Naru noticed him for the first time after he had returned from his break.

"…"

Although he didn't express his thoughts, he knew what he had done was just - childishness. He knew that spilling tea over a magazine for revenge doesn't suit him, but he wanted to avert her attention towards him. He looked at the man in the magazine. Naru felt a little irked. Mai was drooling over him. _Drooling_. He sighed. What was so good about a bare-chested man who had his face smothered in make up?

Something was bothering him. Even after all his childish behavior, he felt that what he had done wasn't completely wrong.

_After all, if he made her angry, won't she look his way? _

Even if it was with contempt.

…

Completely absorbed in his thoughts, Naru had lost track of time. He was lying comfortably on the couch. His arms supporting his head, he stared at the ceiling blankly. Maybe what he did was really absurd. He shouldn't have done that. The absurdity of the fact that he was jealous of a man smothered in make-up made him chuckle. He wondered if it was really he who spilled the tea over the magazine. It seemed to him that he had acted so - unnatural.

He closed his eyes, imagining the scene that had just happened. Mai's angry eyes and words bothered him. Maybe he went over-board with his irritation - rather, _jealousy_. It was wrong of him to have done that. He sighed and continued to stare at the ceiling.

Really, _why is it Mai?_

She was really a frustrating woman, laughing at small things, getting angry even faster and who blushes at every single thing. Such a frustrating, extremely irritating being! Yet why does he end up being so dysfunctional when she is not around? Why does he end up being a complete mess when she is angry with him? Answering such thoughts was not easy. He did not feel obliged to answer them, as he already knew that he had a soft spot for her.

Yet, _why her?_

He sighed and turned uncomfortably in the couch. Still being reminded of Mai's infuriated expressions, he continued to twist and turn.

Maybe it was _her smile._

He smiled softly at the thought. She definitely had a contagious laughter that rippled through the office every time she was made happy.

Maybe it was _his guilt._

The fact that he had let her go at such a crucial moment, hurting her with unwanted words. Words that could pierce through a stone. Words that shattered hopes. He shifted uneasily. It was probably the insecurity of not having one's love returned. Maybe she still was in love with Eugene. Maybe it's because he knows he doesn't stand a chance and that's why he ends up being desperate for her to _look his way._ He laughed slightly at his hopelessness. He was afraid that she was in love with a man who doesn't exist anymore?

"Gene..." He whispered. Maybe it was _his own loneliness_ that was causing him such excruciating pain.

After a whole deal of shifting, he finally got up and reached for the phone on Mai's desk. He stopped for a moment, thinking that he was overreacting, but he went ahead with the plan. He knew that it was hard to let go of one's pride and he knew that the best. He rarely apologized, but now he needed to. He just needed to call and – he was immediately stopped in his actions by a knock on the door.

He opened the door to stare at a rather unhappy Mai. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and kept her eyes from meeting his. She continued to stare at the floor.

"Mai." He said, a little surprised by her sudden arrival.

"I-I just wanted to apologize for my unacceptable behavior this evening." She stuttered.

"…" He kept silent.

"I know it was rude of me to call you a-a jerk for no reason." She continued. "Really, I'm sorry."

"Ma-"

"I promise I'll get the paperwork done!"

"..."

"The magazine cost me only four hundred and twenty yen." She began rambling.

"M-"

"I hope you won't let this incident affect my pay-" She stopped as she heard him chuckle. She blushed. "What! What is it?"

"Mai," He said softly, "It's nine, what are you still doing here?" He pointed at the clock.

"Uh, I was just at a nearby cafe." She said. "Trying to cool my head and reflect on my actions - something like that?" She was doubtful of her own reasoning. She was just as remorseful as he was. Even if it was money in question in her case, he knew that Mai wouldn't be able to bear the pain of being hated by people close to her. Not that he'd hate her for such an idiotic reason. Now he knew the reason why he ended up being mesmerized by Mai's warmth.

"I don't sack my employees for such a reason." He said, still amused with her odd behavior.

"Oh." She answered blankly.

They stood staring at each other for a few moments before she coughed awkwardly. Mai looked away, still blushing. Still standing there, Mai laughed nervously and then bowed.

"T-Then I'll be going." She said.

"Wait." He caught her by her arm, as she was about to escape the awkward situation.

"W-What?" She stuttered.

"I'll walk you home." He said.

"N-No need." She bit her lip, trying to act polite.

"It's fine." Naru put on his coat and shut the door behind him.

Such small things are what probably made him notice Taniyama Mai.

His childish actions were probably a result of not wanting to share this wonderful treasure with the rest of the world. He smiled softly and quickly went back to his monotonous expression. If he showed her his good side, maybe she would fall in love with him. He did believe he had one.

Maybe things were still progressing. One can't predict when or with whom one falls in love with. Things will take their course in due time. He just needed to go along with the pace.

And be patient.

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><p><span>Author's Note<span>: Oh, I know women get irritated if their male counterpart looks at other woman's posters, but do men feel the same...? I probably don't know because I haven't had the joy of being in love with someone.

After much thought, I decided to combine two stages in one for every chapter and ended up changing the layout of the first chapter. So, now the first chapters looks rather clean and neat. For some reason this chapter makes me blush, even though there aren't much romantic scenes, except a few cliché one's.

Leave behind a review and anticipate the next (exhilarating) chapter!


	3. The Irrationality & The Stubbornness

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

* * *

><p><span>Stages of Love<span>

Stage III - The Irrationality & The Stubbornness

_She doesn't understand._

"What?" Mai hollered. "You gave them _all_ a day off?"

_She will never understand._

Sitting on his extremely comfortable chair, Naru was feeling rather - _uncomfortable_. With the heavy rain of murderous glares pouring on him, he continued to steal a few glances at his assistant. Her hands on her waist, her eyebrows raised and her nose scrunched with anger. She huffed at him, threw her arms up in the air to only place them back on her waist. He raised his eyebrows - what _exactly_ did such an action mean?

"You infuriate me." She commented.

"Is that so?" He asked coolly.

"Yes," She continued with a sigh, "How can you give them _all_ a day off when I'm working my, uh, bones to death?"

"Really?" He looked at her, amused at her nonsensical sentence.

"I need a day off too!" She appealed. "You should really have a employee complaint box."

"Thanks for your suggestion," He muttered, "Get me some tea."

"What!" She screamed, extremely angered at her boss's indifference at her suffering - not that she was really suffering. He just asked her to file papers and get him tea. Not at all a difficult job. The fact that irked Mai was that Ayako and Bou-san were on a date - yes, a _date_ and the fact that she was here hollering at her stoic boss. Even Lin-san had a day off! How infuriating is that?

"Mai." Naru looked at her, a cold gleam in his eyes. "Tea."

"You really are biased towards the rest of the members." She commented.

"Am I?" He asked.

"Yes you are." She answered.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"You won't understand." He said softly.

"What?" She asked, unable to figure out the meaning behind his words. She looked at him, a little confused at his odd behavior - he seemed a little depressed. Naru continued to sit on the chair, immersed in his thoughts when he found that his assistant was staring at him. He smirked, causing her to blush.

"Nothing." He mumbled. "Tea."

Mai just shook her head - as if the whole world had disappointed her. Tucking her bangs behind her ear, she slapped her forehead softly. She was definitely tired of putting up with him. She needed a break and his demands weren't stopping either. All he cared was for tea and files! For a moment she stood there deciding pointlessly on how to tackle her boss.

"Tea this, tea that." She muttered under her breath. Fortunately it went unnoticed by her boss. However, her boss continued to eye her. Wondering if she would get a move on and bring him his tea - much awaited tea. He continually looked for signs of her leaving and heading to the kitchen, but it seemed that his assistant was completely ignoring him.

"Mai," He looked at her. She returned his glance wearily. "I said tea." Mai felt like banging his head against the hard mahogany desk. _Why wouldn't he stop!_ She was tired - extremely worn out.

"_I quit!_ Make _your_ tea _yourself_!" She hollered. Not even noticing his rather flabbergasted expression, Mai stormed out of his office.

Not even looking back once.

Watching his assistant's back, he could feel his heart clenching. He wanted to stop her but he found that too troublesome. It was as if he would be admitting defeat. Naru knew that she'd be back. Nobody could pay an assistant so extravagantly. If not for him - she'd be definitely back for the paycheck. The door slammed shut and he heard her footsteps disappearing.

He regretted his actions and for the first time he felt annoyed of his tea addiction.

...

For the rest of the day, Naru spent time flipping pages in his office - all alone.

_She never understood_. Neither could he. He never understood himself.

Why the heck did _he_ need to apologize! She was his assistant and he could decide when to give her a day off. He could decide when she needed to make him some tea. It was supposed to be completely in his control, but it seemed that Mai hated being controlled.

Staring at the floor, he wondered if she would be back. If not today, tomorrow was still a possibility. He eyed his watch warily. He was waiting - waiting for her to come back, probably apologize like the last time and things would become normal. Wasn't he about to show her _his good side_? What the hell happened to that plan? Was this the best he could do? He buried his head in his hands.

He looked at the blank ceiling, a train of thoughts running through his mind. He definitely had given them all a day off except for Mai. Didn't she see right through him - _his intentions_?

Couldn't she place the pieces of this puzzle together and figure out the feelings that he harbored for her? _She never tried understanding_. Sighing softly, Naru looked outside the window. Was it that hard to understand? All the attention that he was showering on her - the well-mannered, extremely courteous Oliver Davis was showering on her. What more did she need? Is she that gullible?

Idiot.

He stopped for a moment. What really was his intention? He couldn't figure it out himself! He shook his head and continued to concentrate on the present situation. It was about time that he started panicking. She wasn't back yet and it was wrecking his nerves. If not today, she would be back tomorrow - he kept repeating that in his mind. His mind wavered off to the distant.

How many clues did she need to figure out that the reason he never gave her a day off was because, he stopped for a while, because - _he always wanted to look at her_? That he always wanted to keep her in his line of best vision.

He remained stunned at the revelation that his mind had just made to him. He raised his eyebrows. Was he becoming a bit like a - creepy stalker? He remained transfixed to his seat. He was - simply put, surprised at his own feelings. He never knew that the depth of his feelings had grown in such a short time. The fact that he kept her occupied at his office, never giving her a day off was because he wanted to keep looking at her?

That is weird. Not to mention - _creepy. _He chuckled. Loving someone other than himself was the biggest shock he had received. Acting obsessive was puny considered to that.

Oliver Davis was stunned at the fact that his reasoning had become extremely _irrational_. He smiled softly, he was completely out of control and weird. He eyed his watch and then grew restless. He was definitely in love. He was becoming irrational and restless in absence of his beloved, more than enough signs to show that he was losing his mind. He needed to get her back.

Maybe it was the time he finally turned into a full-time stalker.

"This is crazy," He muttered to himself, "Why exactly do I need to apologize first?"

Back to square one.

...

Four in the afternoon. Naru was flipping through one of the case files when all his attention diverted towards the door.

The office door creaked softly.

He looked expectantly, his throat going dry for a moment. He sighed - a sigh of relief.

Mai was back.

She looked at him, her face passive. He raised his eyebrows and fixed his complete attention on her as she pursed her lips. She turned and shut the door, walked towards the kitchen ignoring him completely. Then he heard a growl of disappointment. Raising himself to his feet, Naru walked towards the kitchen. He looked as she turned towards him - disappointment in her eyes.

"What?" He asked. She crossed her arms across her chest and huffed.

"I thought you would at least try." She muttered unhappily.

"Try what?" He asked idiotically. He couldn't get what she was trying to say.

"I thought you would try to make some tea yourself." She sighed.

"Why would I do that?" He questioned. The puzzled look on his face irritated Mai.

"Well! I don't expect you to apologize but you can at least show some remorse for your actions!" She shouted.

He looked at her, finally the cloud in his mind clearing off. She bit her lip, completely embarrassed under his scrutinizing gaze. He continued to stare at her when she shook her head. For a moment he thought she was about to apologize but it seemed that she wouldn't do so. She was standing there, quite determined not to apologize. She was expecting him to apologize, so he might as well - but not in the conventional way.

"I don't know how to make some." He lied. She looked at him surprised, completely buying his lie.

"Really! I did not know that. You should have told me earlier, I wouldn't have shouted at you! I'm so sor-" And then she recognized the look on his face. The grin on his face meant only one thing to her, he was challenging her. She stopped abruptly, her sorry cut in half. She looked at him, he was a little disappointed as she had almost lost it.

"Why don't I teach you to make some then?" She asked. She wasn't ready to back down either. Naru guessed so.

They both were so full of _stubbornness_!

"Fine." He said, understanding the fact that she wasn't ready to apologize.

Mai prepared to boil the water in the electric kettle. She took out the tea box from the cupboard, placed it on the platform and looked at Naru. He continued to just stare at her as she explained what was to be done next and why. Finally when she poured the tea from the teapot, he felt a little relieved. She placed the teacup in front of him, but before he could take it she slid it away from his reach.

"How about you make some for yourself?" She smiled. A rather cold smile. He just looked at her, a little irritated and then he got to work himself.

"Here." After doing everything exactly as Mai said, Naru placed the teacup in front of her containing the tea that he had prepared. She looked at it with much scrutiny and then she swapped the teacups. He nodded and they placed the tea cup to their lips at the same time. Naru felt rather happy as the first drop of tea entered his dry throat. He had been after all deprived of tea since morning. He eyed Mai as she drank his tea slowly. He waited for her verdict. Knowing that his tea was rather good as Lin had told him so, he looked at her, a small smirk on his lips.

"I-It isn't that good." She muttered. She was rather surprised that he had made it so well. "Don't get haughty." She concealed her surprise but it didn't go unnoticed by the narcissist.

"Really?" He asked. "Maybe it's better if _you_ kept making tea then."

"Yes, I'm obviously better than _you_." She smiled and then realized her folly as the smirk on his face grew wider.

"So, how about you make some more?" He taunted. She flushed and gritted her teeth.

"Really Naru! Didn't you just drink some?" Mai said angrily. "If you want more make it yourself, since you are so good at it."

"I thought you were better...?" He said slyly. She blushed and then admitted defeat. She was no match for him.

"Fine!" She huffed and looked at him as he chuckled. It was completely his victory. He looked back at her. They continued to stare at each other when he averted his gaze and started to trace the steps back to his office. He stopped for a moment before turning back. He looked at her getting the teapot ready and smiled.

"Mai." He started.

"Yes?" She asked, completely concentrating on the tea in an effort to make it better than him.

"You can have a day off tomorrow."

* * *

><p><span>Author's Note:<span> What a sly way to apologize...! (Also, what a cheesy chapter!)

I know a lot of you have added the story to your favorites and alerts - thank you! It'd be nice if everyone could drop behind a review. Your words are much appreciated. I will be uploading more sooner, my vacation just started. Keep looking forward to new updates.

Leave behind a review and expect the next (annoyingly cheesy) chapter!


	4. The Hopelessness & The Bitterness

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

* * *

><p><span>Stages of Love<span>

Stage IV - The Hopelessness & The Bitterness

Mai.

Taniyama Mai.

Her voice was so loud, he couldn't concentrate on things other than her. Irritating. She was sitting right beside Yasuhara and was chatting loudly. He wondered at times - was she that desperate to attract his attention? Is that her way of trying to make him jealous? If so, she had all the free time in the world just to annoy him. Rubbing his forehead, Naru could fell the burning sensation. He could ignore it if he wanted, but he just couldn't push the image of her laughing along with somebody else to the back of his mind. Frustrating.

If love was such a suffocating feeling, no wonder people try to run away from it.

Her hand on his shoulders, the usual laughter which would make him feel energized, but was now killing him. Pathetic. The way he joked around her - pathetic. He wanted to drag her away from him, but he couldn't do so could he? He would look like one hell of an idiot. An idiot who couldn't contain his feelings.

"Mai!" He almost shouted out of desperation, but in a calm demeanor. "Stop wasting time."

"..." The sudden silence in their conversation brought some peace to him, but it was immediately destroyed.

"Would you like some tea, Yasuhara?"

_Yasuhara! _Wasn't it _Yasuhara-san_ earlier? When did they start being so friendly with each other?

"Sure." He accepted her offer and immediately glanced in Naru's direction. The sly grin on his face aggravated Naru to no end. He wondered if he could strangle that cheeky, bespectacled good-for-nothing. "Shouldn't you be asking Shibuya-san, _Mai_?"

"Naru, want some tea?" The difference in her attitude was more than what Naru was expecting. It was as if she was desperately trying to show that she despised him. He wondered - was she trying that _hard_ to hide her feelings? Oh! One's _fantasies_ are usually made of highest flights of imagination. He was becoming desperate, wasn't he? He was desperate enough to imagine things that weren't true.

"Yes." He muttered.

"Expected so." She walked off to the kitchen. "I wonder when will you learn to say no."

"..."

The war of nerves was quite extreme. While Naru tried his best to ignore Yasuhara, or keep him at bay by giving him deathly cold glares, he just continued to smile at him. For a moment, Naru could feel his heart palpitating. Was he that obvious? Was it that _easy_ to figure out that he was in love with her? Naru could feel the brewing of a new feeling inside him. He wondered what they called it. Embarrassment - was it? Maybe he was just a little tea-deprived. He could feel that his cheeks were getting warmer under the scrutinizing gazes he received from his new recruit and assistant. His mind staggered, but he was able to contain the feeling of unsteadiness anyway. If Yasuhara was able to figure it out so soon, why wasn't Mai able to? Or was it that Yasuhara was just pulling his leg?

Frankly, he reached out to the second option. He couldn't believe that Yasuhara could have known that he was in love when he had shown no signs - the train of thoughts ceased suddenly.

"Here is your tea!" Mai chirped.

He looked at her, his eyes widened slightly. He had shown no signs of the fact that he loved her. Maybe that is why she hadn't been able to figure out that he was _in fact_ in love with her. He had given her no hints until now. He had just waited for the time when she would realize that _she_ is in love with him, not the fact that _he_ was in love with her.

"You alright Naru?" She asked, looking at his crippled expression. "What's wrong?"

"I-" He stopped abruptly noticing that Yasuhara was here. "Nothing."

"Fine." She looked concerned, giving him a little hope. Yasuhara getting the cue, prepared to leave. He coughed a little to grab their attention.

"I'll be leaving then." Yasuhara said, signalling at the clock and then at the door.

"I'm coming too!" Mai said, grabbing her bag hastily. "Why don't we go together?" She looked at Naru and then pointed at the clock - it was nine, quite late for both of them.

"We'll discuss the case tomorrow then, good night boss." Yasuhara said while nodding at Mai's proposal.

Naru seemed a bit too preoccupied. He looked at Mai and hesitated a little before nodding. He couldn't stop her for no reason, it would seem quite stupid if he stopped her from going with Yasuhara. Just because he didn't like it. How embarrassing. He couldn't stop her and neither could he let her go. He was feeling the pangs of being in love. Unrequited love. He hoped that it wouldn't stay like this for long, he hoped that she would reciprocate the same feelings that he bore for her.

He wished he could just confess about his feelings.

It was useless. He wasn't willing to take a step ahead at all! He was trying to keep his image so desperately. His pride was not allowing him to do such an embarrassing thing, but what if this resulted in serious consequences? What if she got snatched away? If Yasuhara was giving him troubles, surely he would have to face more troubles ahead. He was so desperate to believe that she was falling in love with him and would confess soon rather than taking action himself. He was too afraid to say it directly. Pathetic. Inexcusable. He couldn't describe this feeling.

It was a feeling of hopelessness.

...

The next day, Naru had not much to do. The cases were coming in as usual. Mai was attending to the clients with utmost hospitality while he reserved himself to his chair. Rather than listening to what their woes were, he was preoccupied with his own. Didn't he have much work to do? Was such a mere thing annoying him more than the fact that he wasn't able to concentrate on his work? He felt - lifeless.

"Naru, you really look weird." Mai muttered, placing the tea-cup on his desk. His face had a frightening pallor. He seemed sleep-deprived and tired. "Are you sleeping enough?"

"..." He was sleeping quite enough. More than what he used to before. It was just that she was troubling him so much! Even in his dreams!

"Ignoring me is of no use." She mumbled unhappily. "Get some sleep."

"I'm sleeping enough Mai." He said, slightly irritated by her persistence.

"You seem dead to me." Mai answered back, displeased with him. They glared at each other and she pointed her finger towards him as if she was suing him in court. "You should listen to me. You look really pale."

"I'm fine, Mai." He assured.

"Alright." She shrugged her shoulders and left to join the company of the other members.

Her laughter rippled through the office once again. Sipping the tea slowly, he tried to calm his mind. Why was he so irritated? Why did he care so much that she was sitting right across the room laughing joyfully? Why did he care so much that she wasn't sitting beside him? Wasn't love a feeling which allowed you to let go of each other? To let each other be at peace? Then why was it that when she was enjoying with the others, he felt all - cramped up?

The phone rang waking Naru from his thoughts with a jolt. Mai attended to it and immediately her face broke into a thousand smiles. Her face had a sweet freshness to it. Naru looked at her, his eyes following her lips and her sparkling eyes. He failed to notice the curious and mischievous eyes following him.

"Shall we meet at five then?" She laughed. "I'll be looking forward to it."

His eyes followed her as she looked at the phone with a strange softness. Who was it on the other side of the call? His mind was bursting with innumerable possibilities. Was it a friend? A guy or maybe even a- he didn't want to think about it!

"Naru-chan," she started sweetly, "Can I leave at five?"

He could have said no outright, but the pleading look on her face was making him light-headed, unable to decide. He was so cruel. He was so out of his usual character. He felt so messed up.

"You can leave if you finish the filing." He said coolly. The clock struck four. She looked at the chiming clock and then at Naru - her face had a sort of disappointment written all over. She looked unhappy for a moment as she glanced over the pile of papers and then at the wooden-faced man in front of her. He hoped that she wouldn't be able to finish the job right in time. He hoped that it would delay her - cancel her plans of going with _whoever_ she was talking to.

He was so cruel.

"Naru please!" Mai coaxed him, but he looked at her without any compassion. He wouldn't allow her to go. He was afraid that she had someone she was going out with. He wanted to know but he was also afraid of knowing. He hoped that the truth wouldn't shatter him, filling him with a feeling of nothingness once more.

"Finish it, Mai." He muttered.

Jealousy was such a bitter feeling.

"Naru, it's been years since I met Keiko!" She cried. _Keiko_? His first thought - that's a _girl's_ name, isn't it? He felt annoyed at his own thoughts. "Come on, I'll get the paperwork and filing done tomorrow!"

"..." Why was she so desperate? What if she was lying? What if she is meeting up with a guy instead? He rubbed his forehead. Why couldn't he just trust her! It was not like she was going to gain something by lying to him.

"Naru!" She pleaded.

"Fine." He said out of desperation. He couldn't bare her pleading face anymore. He couldn't care less if she was going out with a man! Ha! He doesn't have to worry. He is after all the _most good-looking_ man on earth! He can win over _any_ girl and _Mai was his!_

He remained flabbergasted. What was this feeling? _Possessiveness?_ He buried his face in his hands as she left. What was this? Was he going crazy each second?

Jealousy, possessiveness, obsessiveness, hopelessness - why was he brimming with such bitter feelings? He felt an acute distaste for himself. Why was he feeling like this? Would Mai hate him if she found out that he was so annoying?

He felt embittered.

The wave of snickers that followed after Mai's departure woke him from his self-evaluation. Ayako was smiling at him funnily, so was Yasuhara. Bou-san had a smirk on his face while John's lips were curved in a soft smile. Naru raised his eyebrows.

"No need to feel so depressed Naru-chan," Bou-san began laughingly, "It happens to everyone."

"You will be deprived of all your energy till you obtain her." Ayako smiled. "Better be prepared for it."

"Go for it, Shibuya-san!" John said in an elated voice.

Naru felt embarrassed at the sudden orchestra of cheers for him. He looked at them with a slightly pink tinge to his cheek. He felt embarrassed but yet he felt a strange euphoric feeling on gaining their support. He smiled softly at them and they returned back the same soft, encouraging smile. He felt calm all of a sudden. Before he knew it, they had all circled him in anticipation.

"So, when exactly did you fall in love with Mai?" They echoed.

He really wished he could strangle them.

* * *

><p><span>Author's Note<span>: Thank you for all your support! Hope this early update will give you much joy. Somehow I'm very much happy with this chapter! If you have any suggestions or maybe you have a few stages in your mind, you can PM me and tell me about it or just leave behind a review. **Just as a survey : Do women like possessive men?** I have never been able to answer that question. I do not like to be "somebody's" possession, but I do like the idea of being possessive of the one you love. It's still annoying, right? What do you feel?

Leave behind a review and expect the next (awesome) chapter.


	5. The Fantasies & The Reality

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><span>Stages of Love<span>

Stage V - The Fantasies & The Reality

There she was, sleeping so peacefully. During office hours.

Taniyama Mai was sleeping right under his nose, thinking that he wouldn't notice. Definitely. Her head on the desk slantingly, her hair disheveled, scattered all over the desk. She would awake at times with a jolt but she would just go back to snoring softly. There she was sleeping so calmly and here he was having a tough time without tea. It was more like she was harassing him rather than he doing so.

"Mai." He called out, calmly but the tremor in his tone indicated of the forthcoming storm.

"..." Still ignoring him, Mai remained curled up in her dreamland.

"Mai." This time, a bit more loudly. He was beginning to _worry_ as a matter of fact. He was angry, but he was more worried thinking that she wasn't getting enough sleep because of her job. Mai continued to sleep, much to his annoyance. He definitely didn't like to be ignored. Huffing, he rose to his feet.

Slowly, he walked over to her desk. Noting that she was entangled in a rather deep sleep, he stretched out his hand. In a situation where he just needed to pat her shoulder in order to wake her up, he ended up doing something quite unexpected. Caressing her soft cheek first, he slowly went to her earlobe. Eliciting a rather pleased sound from her, he looked at her - shocked. A look of surprise painted all over his face. He didn't exactly _expect_ her to moan.

Continuing to rub the sensitive parts of her earlobe, Naru smiled softly. He just hoped that she was actually sleeping. He didn't want to end up in a humiliating situation - in case she was just pretending to sleep. For a moment, he withdrew his hand, considering the fact that she might not be sleeping at all. Then looking at the simplicity of her face, he just discarded the thought as impossible.

"Naru..." She whispered softly.

He raised his eyebrows. Was she dreaming about _him_? He felt a little elated, his lips curling into a smirk. He really wondered what _exactly_ was she dreaming about him?

"_Don't_." She muttered. He was a bit shocked. Did she realize that he was doing - whatever exactly he was doing to her? Eying his assistant carefully and suspiciously, he noted that she was in fact talking in her sleep. He wondered what exactly was she saying '_don't_' to? He felt a little curious and pushed the bangs covering her eyes aside.

"_No more_..." She breathed softly. He felt even more curious. He did have an idea as to what exactly she was saying 'no more' and 'don't' to. After all, _what exactly_ could this mean? It meant only one thing. She was fantasizing about him and- his thoughts got caught right in the middle of the process.

"_No more_ tea." She mumbled. "_Don't_ you dare ask for more tea!"

She was dreaming about tea?_ That's it?_

"Idiot." Naru grumbled. He was disappointed that it was_ not exactly_ what he had been _thinking_. He sighed softly. His _fantasies_ were really getting out of hand. He needed to learn to control himself. But he was a bit happy, after all, she was thinking about him. Not in a romantic way, yes, but she was at least thinking about him.

Suddenly, his eyes landed on her lips. He stared at them for a long moment, before deeming himself as crazy. His throat went dry, his body almost acting on it's own, he bent down impulsively. This was a really bad idea, he thought for a moment. He might get exposed and worse - he could even get slapped if she were to awake suddenly. Then he shook his head slightly - who was going to realize? She was asleep and Lin was out. Plus he couldn't even do it - the way her head was slanted was a hindrance itself. Although her lips were exposed, it would be a mammoth task to land his own on them perfectly. He just shrugged his shoulders slightly - might as well try, his only thoughts. He bent forward, slanting his head slightly.

Their lips were just inches apart.

"Naru." A familiar voice called out. Naru looked up with a jolt - his heart thrashing against his ribs. His eyes were wide. "That's sexual assault, you know." Lin stood beside the door, transfixed to his position after witnessing Naru's rather embarrassing act. He had been caught red-handed. Lin smiled slyly - this gave him a chance to blackmail a certain narcissist.

"Really?" Naru answered coolly. "I wasn't doing _anything_."

"I don't want you to end up in trouble." He said, dropping in a hint of concern.

"Do I _look_ like a person who ends up in trouble?" Naru asked, his eyes fixed on Lin.

An awkward silence ensued. Lin stared at Naru. Naru just stared back. He regretted his question as Lin's dark eyes bore into him.

"_Yes, you do_."

...

Naru was a bit disappointed and disturbed.

He didn't expect Lin to express such a derogatory opinion about him. Not that he really cared. Not that he cared that Lin thought of him as someone capable of attacking someone sleeping and completely defenseless. He wasn't even attacking. He did it just under a wave of irrationality and irritability, simply put, under an impulse. He wasn't thinking straight. But what caused him to do so - frustration of some kind?

"Here's your tea." Mai said quietly, the sleepiness remaining in her eyes. She was about to yawn, but she turned away rapidly and left towards the kitchen once more.

He spent the next few seconds looking at her retreating figure. His cheek resting on his palm, his elbow on the desk, Naru remained immersed in thought - reflecting on his actions. Surprisingly, he even forgot about the tea.

Was it such a big deal? He couldn't really understand. To act under one's impulse - is it wrong? Was it wrong of him to even _try_ to kiss Mai? It was wrong. She was completely defenseless. Although he felt a little calm on realizing that he hadn't really done anything, it gave a deeper insight into himself. A terrifying thought, really.

What was he becoming - a _pervert_ probably?

After all his thoughts were misleading him, his fantasies - out of the world. To think that he would see Mai in such a way._ A woman_. He saw her as a full-fledged woman. Heck, what was wrong with him! Damn his perverted thoughts. He was a teenager, after all. A teenager in a crucial situation.

A dreadful situation called love.

...

"Naru," Mai started. "Could you, uh, accompany me home?"

Mai pointed at the clock - seemed like she was bit afraid to travel at such an hour. He didn't mind, rather it made him feel like a knight in shining armor. Even if it was indeed not a tough task.

"Hm." He answered, a bit elated at the fact that she had chosen him over Lin. Not that he would expect her to go over to him. Was there such a possibility...? He shook his head.

"Naru." Mai started impatiently. "You can save your thoughts of whatever your thinking right now about for later."

"Hn." He mumbled. Wearing his coat hurriedly, he followed Mai as she exited the office. "Lin, I'll be back." He received a low grunt in response to which Naru just shut the office door.

The wait for the elevator had never been so tiring. Mai was standing right opposite to him, at times staring at him or the metallic door of the elevator. Feeling a little conscious of him, Mai stood rather stiffly, completely straight and tried not to make many movements. He stared at her funnily for a moment but he came to a stunning revelation that he had been in fact standing a lot more stiffly than her. He could feel the pressure on his feet - he felt a strange tense atmosphere surrounding them. He could neither look her in the eye, nor stare anywhere near her body. He wondered, what exactly was he going through? Seeing that she was also struggling to keep her gaze away from him, he felt a strange sensation. Quite unlike what he used to feel around her.

"Ah." She muttered as the doors of the elevator slid open.

Allowing her to enter into the over-crowded elevator first, he entered after her. Not much space left for anyone, they managed to squeeze in and the doors shut leaving them in a rather awkward situation.

Naru had his back slammed against the wall-like metallic surface of the elevator. Not much awkward. What was more discomfiting was the fact that he was rather unexpectedly close to Mai. Her petite body cramped up against his chest, he felt a strange tingling sensation in the parts where their bodies made contact. Her head smashed up against his chin, he smelt shampoo from her hair. Highly intoxicating fragrance. A strange, uncomfortable position. His hand colliding with hers for a moment, but he quickly pulled it back. A rather funny situation. The elevator was jam-packed and not a single person was able to shift their bodies.

Funny, how life worked. Just a moment ago, he was cursing his fantasies and now he was cursing his reality.

At last, the doors of the elevator opened, relieving it's passengers of the awkwardness and the discomfort that they had been subjected to. Naru quickly exited, walking at a slightly quickened pace to escape the unexpected situation. He was hyperventilating. He did not expect his body to react in such a way. If it wasn't for the dark night, the bright pink radiance of his cheeks wouldn't have gone unnoticed.

"Naru! Wait! I can't walk that fast." Mai ran, catching hold of his arm. Trying to control his rapid breath unsuccessfully, Naru gazed at her as he felt her slightly quickened pace of breath. Was it from the running or was it something completely different...?

Again, he felt his heart hammering against his chest. He looked at Mai, his eyes slightly wider than usual. She stared at him before letting go of his arm, rather embarrassed by her action. Was she experiencing this too? This strange feeling that he was being aware of. He looked at her a little hopefully, noticing that her cheeks were a slight pink. She looked at him, her eyes traveling to his cheeks and then swiftly averting her gaze. He guessed that she had noticed the slight pink tinge to his cheeks.

The unnerving silence made Naru notice the quickened pace of his heart. He felt uneasy.

He couldn't describe what he was undergoing. Probably a hormonal imbalance. He was embarrassed at the way his body was reacting to her touch. The manner in which those places felt warmer than the rest of his body. He was afraid of what he was experiencing. At times he would just steal glances at her, to know whether she was being conscious of him too. He couldn't decipher how she felt. He could just hope that she felt the same. He just hoped that she didn't realize the way his body was reacting to her. The fact that he was aware of her.

That Mai was a _woman _and he was_ aware of it. _

* * *

><p><span>Author's Note<span>: Thank you all for your love! I wouldn't have been able to get this far without your reviews, favorites and alerts!

Thanks to **Amthyst**, for the wonderful suggestions. I've implemented some of the basic ideas that she enlightened me with. This chapter wasn't exactly _planned_. It is a result of continuous brainstorming after going through the suggestions made by her. I would love to hear everybody's opinion on this chapter. Especially what you think about this hormone-driven, crazy Naru.

**Another question for you guys : What qualities do women look forward to in men?** I would like a bit insight on the physical qualities as well as personality. Also, any suggestions as to what to write on a profile? My profile is rather awfully plain and depressing. I've no idea what to write in it.

Leave behind a review and expect the next (good?) chapter.


	6. The Grief & The Responsibility

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt

* * *

><p><span>Stages of Love<span>

Stage VI - The Grief & The Responsibility

Naru was in a bad mood.

Mai had yet _again_ landed herself in the hospital. Not just bruises and painful gashes but she had remained unconscious for a few days. The doctor said that it was not much to worry. Probably the stress had almost wrecked her nerves, so badly that her body required plenty of rest.

The clock struck four. Resting his legs on his desk, in the usual position, he remained still. It was extremely painful to watch her lie on a white bed, draped in blue hospital clothes and surrounded by suffocating grey walls - hence he preferred to remain in the office while Ayako and Bou-san went frequently to visit her. Even Lin had gone once. What a surprise!

Burying his face in hands, he was almost on the verge of bursting with anger.

_Why her?_

Why was it always her? Why did everyone else manage to get away with sight cuts or nothing at all, but why did she end up in situations jeopardizing her life. Looking at the clock, he noticed that it was almost time for Ayako to return from her visit. He straightened himself and started to flip through the file of the case, in which Mai had managed to get herself almost killed. He wondered if it was all his fault. Why? Why her? Not that he wanted others to be hurt, but he couldn't watch her writhe in pain. A trouble magnet, he thought to himself. A _strongly magnetized_ trouble magnet.

"Naru," Ayako came in, "Would you like to take a break and visit her?"

"No," He muttered, "I'm fine, Matsuzaki-san."

Ayako eyed him sorrily. He was trying to act quite normal. Sitting straight as if nothing bothered him, reading quietly. Yet, his hunched shoulders, disheveled hair and clothes, wandering eyes spoke more than he could. He was not at all fine. He was probably having a hard time controlling his anger at his assistant.

"Would you like some tea?" She asked softly, understanding the narcissists situation.

"No." He answered curtly. Ayako flinched, quite visibly startled. It was certainly not normal for Naru to refuse tea.

"Naru, please visit-" She stopped when he looked at her with an unappreciative gaze. She immediately walked away after staring at him sympathetically for a moment and then began conversing with Lin. Although, they acted as if they didn't care, he could notice their periodic glances in his direction to check if he was fine. _He wasn't even a little bothered_. Such things are normal, quite normal. Such things are bound to happen. Ghost hunting isn't an easy job - he tried convincing himself unsuccessfully. It was still indirectly all his fault. The camera was insured, he had no need to deceive her and bring her into this field. He was so_ selfish_. It was all his fault.

It was _he_ who brought her into such a dangerous field.

He shut his book, rose to his feet and walked away from his dreadful desk. He looked at Lin and he nodded as he understood his situation.

"Matsuzaki-san," He looked at her, "You may leave if you wish to."

"Oh!" She was a bit startled. "Yes, yes." It was not at all normal for Naru to let her leave so early.

Naru left the building and walked to his apartment. Mostly he would spend the nights at the office, working late in the night but he felt the need to go back to his apartment today. He walked slowly, noticing the people on street laughing joyfully. Most of them were high school girls, talking about how boring school was, how boys were so immature and whom they liked the most.

_Would she have been this normal too?_

_Would she have been safer had he not appeared in her life?_

Entering the building, he immediately took the staircase to his first floor lavish flat. Not wanting to wait for the elevator was quite normal, he thought. It was first floor after all. Plus, he preferred the dimly illuminated staircase than the brightly decorated elevator. Climbing each step was becoming hard for him. Fumbling for the key to the door of his flat, he reached for the knob of the door. Pushing open the door, he went ahead and slumped himself on the couch. After a great deal of twisting and turning, he fell asleep for a while, only to wake up when the clock struck seven. He took a shower and noticing that Lin hadn't yet returned, made a call to the hospital and inquired if the visiting hours were over. After being put on a hold, the receptionist told him that he could still visit until nine p.m.

He reconsidered the want to visit, but he had to go. Or else it would be too much for him to bear. He was going mad.

Taking a taxi to the Tokai hospital, he fumbled for his wallet and handed the money to the taxi-driver. Entering the hospital, he talked to the receptionist calmly as she was managing many people together at the same time and it was becoming tough for her.

"Taniyama Mai." He said.

"Oh!" She muttered. Asking him to wait for a few seconds, she flipped the pages of the register and checked her computer. "Room 103, to your left sir." He gave her a small, appreciative smile before heading away from her and towards the door.

Walking to the room, he noticed the numberplate and the patient's name. He frowned and then pushed open the door after knocking.

The room was rather dimly lit. He noticed that the patient was sleeping soundly. He took the chair, trying hard to seem soundless and sat beside her. Looking at her peaceful face, he wondered if it would be alright for him to wake her up. He slowly reached out his hand to wake her up, instead he began playing with her curls. Slowly, he traced her cheeks and then went back to her soft hair. It was such a pain to care for someone.

He was yearning to be beside her. To touch her, to hold her, to protect her...

"Wh-" She mumbled, waking up slowly. Eying her visitor wearily, she looked at him and smiled. "I thought you would be working."

"..." Her radiant smile calmed him.

"I'm sorry Naru," She smiled and continued, "It wasn't my intention to get your equipment damaged. You're still angry with me, right?" He sighed. She still cared more about the equipment more than herself. What an annoying idiot! He couldn't help but let his lips curl up at her _selflessness_. At her stupidity.

"It's fine Mai." He said softly.

"Really!" She exclaimed. He nodded at her, continuing to smile softly.

"Although it did cost me a few million yen." He said.

"What!" She cried. "You aren't going to ask me to pay you back are you?"

"It's all insured." He reassured her, asking her to rest. "Don't get too happy though. You have lots of pending work."

"I'm sorry." She said softly. "I'll get it all done."

"I couldn't even have tea." He continued. He couldn't stop complaining. He was venting all the anger that he had been containing inside himself all day long. He couldn't do so anymore.

"Oh!" Mai muttered. "I asked Ayako to make you some!"

"The office is a complete mess." His complaints seemed never-ending. He wanted her to notice that he was a complete mess too.

"Well can't you clean it up yourself!" She screamed, not able to decipher the underlying meaning. "Why can't you do it yourself! You need me for everything. I am not your personalized servant!" He crossed his arms across his chest. Raising his eyebrows playfully, he looked at her haughtily.

"It is the job of an assistant though." He muttered. "I'm the boss, remember?"

"Egoistic boss." She huffed and silence engulfed them once more.

They kept looking at each other until Mai averted her gaze towards the ceiling. He kept looking at her though. He watched her gaze trying to avoid him purposefully, after all her cheeks were burning up. He continued to stare at her unaffectedly. She continued to look away until a nurse came in. He huffed, just when the mood was getting better.

"Sir, you will have to leave." She informed and he nodded.

"I'm really sorry, Naru." Mai apologized.

"You better be," He said softly, "The amount of _losses_ you cause me."

"Yes, yes." She rolled her eyes.

"You have a lot of pending work." He mumbled, reminding her once again.

"You _can't_ just function _without me_, can you?" She asked playfully. He remained staring at her, unable to move. His throat went dry as she slapped the reality in his face. It was as if his brain had short-circuited and needed rebooting. Hiding his startled gaze from her, he turned away and prepared to leave. She watched him rise out of the chair and walk away, but he stopped at the door and turned towards her.

"_You're right._" He answered. "_I can't_."

And he left a extremely flustered assistant, who ended up regretting her own choice of words.

Whether Mai would have a better life without him or not, his life would have been devoid of anything good without her.

_Whether or not she needed him, he needed her._

...

Naru turned the knob and entered his office. Immediately, the sound of someone constantly typing resonated in his ears.

"Lin." He said, noticing him.

"Naru." Lin acknowledged Naru's arrival as well. "You're back. I thought you were going to rest at the apartment."

"I have much work to do." He answered smoothly.

Ignoring the ticking clock, Naru continued his work. After the conversation with his assistant, he had felt rather relieved to see her in good spirits. It had been a little less painful for him to deal with current situation and he was able to focus on his work more. He glanced at his watch and sighed. Maybe it was better that he did visit her, he should have done so earlier. It made him feel less guilty.

"I'm going back to the apartment." Lin informed, as he wrapped up things, tidied his desk and carried the laptop in his bag.

"Lin." Naru began. Lin stared at Naru, waiting for him to speak up. He then sighed, walked up to his desk, dragged a chair and sat opposite to him.

"What is it?" He asked, convincingly soft enough for Naru to look at him with weary, _grief_-stricken eyes.

"It's all my fault, isn't it?" Naru questioned. Lin looked at him with surprise. He immediately deduced that he had visited his assistant. "It's all my fault."

"idiots. Both of you." Lin muttered.

"..." Naru ignored the obvious insult and continued to look at him, waiting for an answer.

"You both are so worried about _losing_ each other even before you've _obtained_ each other." He said softly. He was completely endeared by the narcissist's genuine feelings for the girl. He was surprised - what could have made him care so deeply for her in such a short time? What are the right factors that are contributing to their perfectly synced love?

"What do you mean?" Naru asked, his dark locks drooping over his eyes as he bent forward.

"You know Naru, earlier when you were hospitalized after having used a tremendous amount of PK, Mai had exactly asked me the same thing." He continued. "She blamed herself for what had happened to you. Had she not hurt your pride, things might have turned differently, so she thought."

"..."

"So, stop blaming each other for unfortunate things that happen." He continued. "_They just happen._"

Lin left after providing a little hope and comfort to him. Naru was satisfied with his words. Probably, no one could have explained it better than Lin. He was right. He had to stop blaming himself. The only way would be to take responsibility.

_The responsibility of having to protect the people he cared for._

* * *

><p><span>Author's Note:<span> Many apologies for this late update. It is really hard to write about a grief-stricken Naru. Gah. Though, I did enjoy characterizing him - not that Naru is really hard to decipher as a character. Also, I somehow feel that this chapter does not fit in at all, but I needed to get the mood away from the overly cliched love and this was the only way. I hope you enjoyed it, even though there was noting much to rejoice about in this chapter. I'd love to know what you think. So please, drop a review even if it's a few words. Thank you. Oh, this chapter isn't proofread. Forgive me for the mistakes.

Leave behind a review and expect the next (wonderful) chapter!


	7. The Understanding & The Trust

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

* * *

><p><span>Stages of Love<span>

Stage VII - The Understanding & The Trust

Regret.

Anguish.

Woe.

Unbeknownst to all humanity, these feelings are for life. Each decision is a consequence of one's regrets. To _change_ what _has been_ done, to change the aftermath of what has been done.

"_Noll_." He whispered. The particular ring to his name, the lips that called out to his name were _now lost in time_. "Noll."

His brother existed no more._ 'Noll' was lost_. The voice that called him 'Noll' with an impeccable sweetness was lost. Lost forever. He continued to keep his face buried in his hands, unable to realize that he was still at work under the scrutinizing gaze of his nonplussed assistant.

"Noll." He whispered again. He wanted to hear his name, _the same way_ his brother called him. With the same amount of love, the same amount of tenderness. His voice was similar to _his_ voice, but it did not have the depth that he wished to hear. He wanted to feel _his existence_, but _he_ _didn't_ exist anymore.

"Naru?"

Naru sat straight with a jolt, startled. He looked at his assistant, his eyes wide and lips tightly clenched. Transfixed to his seat, he was unable to breath for a moment. His cheek felt cold - a result of resting on it against the cold mahogany desk. Just a moment of ago he had his face buried in his hands and now his cheek had been resting on the cold desk - had he possibly fallen asleep?

"What?" He asked, a strange curtness in his voice.

"Er, nothing." She blushed, confused at his behavior. "You were, er, sleeping."

"Was I?" He asked completely annoyed with himself that he had let his guard down in front of his assistant.

"Yes, you were." She continued, quite sure that she wasn't wrong at all. "You were saying something. _Noru_. Er, that's what you were saying." Her troubled pronunciation of 'Noll' made him chuckle.

"_Noru_?" He mimicked her, looking at her with a funny expression on his face.

"Well whatever it was! Stop making fun of me!" Her face completely flushed. "You were talking in your sleep, shouldn't _I_ be making fun of you?"

"..." Realizing his mistake, he pursed his lips and turned to the mountain of files on his desk. He couldn't believe that he had been mumbling something rather incoherent in his sleep. Moreover, he was unable to believe that _he_ had fallen asleep _at work_ and that Mai had witnessed it. Usually it was the _opposite_...

"So, what does it mean?" Mai inquired.

"What?" He looked at her, completely annoyed at her curiosity.

"Noru, what does it mean?" She continued.

"Nothing."

"Really?" Mai asked playfully. "Then why were you muttering it with such _fervor_?"

His eyes crashed with hers. The cold gleam in his eyes didn't seem to work on her. The playful smile on her lips annoyed him to no end. He was absolutely hell-bent on not wanting to lose to her. He would absolutely not lose to those curious eyes. He would absolutely _not_ lose to those pleading eyes -

"_Gene_ used to call me Noll." He whispered softly.

"I thought it was _idiot scientist_?" Mai asked dumbly, not able to decipher the mood.

"Well, originally it was _Noll_." He emphasized on 'Noll.' His eyes dropped down, losing connection with his assistant momentarily. Mai averted her gaze to her own desk.

The atmosphere now seemed calmer. There was not much tension to it but a slight awkwardness which seemed to be coming from both ends. Naru on one hand was embarrassed that he had fallen asleep during work and Mai was feeling awkward as she had indeed dug old wounds with her curiosity. The tension in the air further cooled down as the other members started arriving one by one. It was a rather funny feeling. Throughout the whole day Naru felt uncomfortable near her and so did she. They were unable to talk while facing each other. Definitely a problem. Soon it so happened that they began ignoring each other to escape the awkwardness. She was soon encircled by others and he remained immersed in his own thoughts.

"Mai," He called out. She looked at him expectantly. "Tea." She huffed.

"Why is it always tea?" She mumbled.

"What did you expect?" He asked expressionlessly.

"Uh," She began, thinking hard to give an appropriate answer, "Nothing..."

"..." He stared at her, she returned the stare and they both averted their gaze at the same time.

"Say, Naru, why don't we put a stop to this?" She looked at him desperately.

"To what?" He asked placidly.

"To this - awkwardness." She swished her arms in the air idiotically. Most likely a cue to the unexpectedly heavy atmosphere that had set on their shoulders. The silence was indeed so intimidating that Mai couldn't face him.

"..."

"I did not intend to, you know, remind you of _him_..." She said softly, her eyes looking at him, pleading him to get a hold of himself. He noticed the anguish on her face as she bit her lips in guilt. His eyes traveled to the ceiling before he realized that he had been unable to return to normality the whole day because of a single incident. It was unusual of him to fall asleep, but what shook him deep in his heart that he had not yet let go of Gene wholeheartedly. His mind was yet wavering, unable to grasp a strong hold in reality.

"I've already forgotten of what you are talking about." Naru said, his eyes softer than usual. He still kept gazing at the ceiling, for some reason he was unable to face her. He did not want her to notice. To notice that he was childish, extremely immature and was not able to accept the obvious truth that was being continually slapped in his face.

"Naru..." She whispered gently, appreciating that he did not want her to feel awkward.

"You don't have to worry," He said recognizing the tone in her voice, "I'm fine."

"It's normal to grieve." Mai said with utmost sincerity.

"I said - I'm fine." He growled, emphasizing on the fact that he did not need anyone's sympathy. He had been so careful to keep his feelings to himself. He had been so careful in preventing people from knowing that he was still shattered inside, yet she had no difficulty in reading his mind. It was all his fault - why did he need to fall asleep and mumble _his own_ name?

"Naru, you have to start opening up." She said, ignoring him completely. "You have to start trusting people."

"..."

"I've known what it is to lose people," She began reassuringly, "I've been there, I've experienced it all. It's hard to return to normality after a single incident has wrecked one's life to pieces." He looked at her, a strange look on his face. She smiled at him softly. It was a strange experience, the feelings that were bottled up for so long were escaping. A strange experience indeed - but he had to regain his composure. He had to return to the monotony.

"I'm fine." He muttered, hoping that she would stop. Hoping that this feeling of_ torment _and_ agony_ would stop...

"It's hard to overcome something so agonizing. The only way would be to_ trust someone._" She said, her eyes hopeful, waiting for him to begin pouring his feelings out. To trust her. Excruciating - this feeling, to know that someone had broken this protective barrier that he had been building all these years. The barrier that he constructed to keep people from knowing that he terribly missed his brother and hoped that he was still alive. To protect him from the cruel, unfeeling world.

Although it was a painful feeling, he felt hopeful that someone was willing to _listen_ to him. That someone was willing to hold him together while his mind and soul shattered to uncountable pieces. He could feel the heaviness in his tone as he parted his lips to finally open up to someone whom he believed he loved.

"I felt it the entire time," He muttered, "The entire time I felt him dying - I felt him getting run over twice, but _I_ was _unable_ to save _him_. I felt his pain, but there was nothing I could do..."

"You couldn't have done anything either. No matter what you do, you can't change someone's fate. He had to go sooner or later, only God called him earlier than someone could have expected." She said, softly - hoping that the blunt sentence wouldn't hurt him more than what he was already experiencing. He looked at her, flabbergasted. He expected a more soothing opinion. "You couldn't have done anything at that time, but you've done everything you could do for him later, haven't you?"

"..."

"You searched for him _all over_ Japan and finally brought him to peace, didn't you?" She said gently.

He felt a sudden sense of calmness, his rigid shoulders dropping slowly. He felt - satisfied. He experienced a strange feeling. It was as if _he_ had been tormenting _himself_. It was as if he had finally been released from himself. The pain and anguish were finally escaping from his mind. He could have done nothing to save his brother - a sentence that would have angered him endlessly but why did the explanation _she_ gave seem so _understandable_ and_ real_?

"You have to be grateful for whatever happens." She said calmly.

"_Grateful_?" He asked confused, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes, grateful." She repeated with a strange softness in her voice. "Losing him is definitely painful, but you have to be grateful that through this you met a few loving people. You found yourself a _loving family_, don't you think so?"

"..."

"I'm grateful that through this _I met you_, I met everyone - whom I care for today." She said, a huge smile on her face. "I'm glad I met everyone."

The soft breeze that blew in the congested office seemed to cool down the atmosphere. Not that it was a tense one, but it seemed to settle things tranquilly. The feeling of being deserted on a planet without loved ones is painful but to make a place for oneself in every other person's heart is what counts._ To love and to be loved_ - that is the reason behind one's existence.

"So, are you feeling better now?" Mai asked, the soft, serene smile still on her lips.

"Yes."

"Great. It feels great to be trusted by someone whom you trust." She said chirpily. The look of happiness evident on her face.

"You trust me?" He asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, I do." She answered without hesitating.

"What exactly do you trust me for?" He questioned, feeling a little more cheerful than earlier. She scratched her forehead thoughtfully and looked at him for a while before sighing.

"Well, er," She mumbled slowly, "I trust that you will pay my hospital bills every time I land there?"

He looked at her, quite annoyed at her stupidity. He had just decided to take _responsibility of protecting her_ and she was talking about landing in the hospital again? Yet, he could not help but chuckle at her sincerity and innocence. It felt unexpectedly quite good to open up to someone. He had yet again experienced the existence of another feeling.

The feeling of being there for each other. The feeling of existence. To know that he was not alone.

To reach an _understanding_.

To _trust_ someone.

"Ah, Naru-chan!" Bou-san came in unexpectedly. On seeing Naru's rather worn-out expression, his eyes became soft with concern. "Are you not feeling well?" He asked the question loud enough for everyone to come flocking in. They encircled him while Mai just continued standing there with a smile on her face. He huffed at the sudden commotion.

"Are you alright?" Masako asked, her voice strained with worry.

"Do you have a fever? A cold probably?" Ayako asked, not even allowing him to part his lips.

"Naru!" It was Lin's turn. "Are you okay?" Seeing that it was hopeless to even open his mouth to say something, he raised his hand in the air.

"Stop." He said bluntly. "I'm fine."

"Oh." They said in a unison.

"Get back to work." He said, in a soft tone.

"Oh well. I'm glad you're fine." Ayako said, the others nodding along with her. "Though it would have been nice if you were sick. We could have had a day off on the pretext that 'boss' is absent...?"

His deathly glare seemed to be getting more and more cold by the moment. They smiled at him sheepishly and Naru sighed. What a huge commotion they had all caused just because they thought he was unwell. Though the reason behind the concern may not be exactly heart-warming, yet he felt a strange euphoric emotion. They were all concerned for him; it made him unexpectedly happy.

"Naru." Mai smiled warmly. She was radiant. Radiant as the warm sunshine, which was pretty much required in his cloudy life. "Stop worrying about the past; it only drains us of today's _energy_ and _happiness_!"

He smiled softly. There was still hope for attaining happiness. There was still hope that _he_ could attain happiness. That hope had been provided by Mai. Mai was his hope and he would gladly hold on to it.

Although _Noll_ had disappeared in time, _Naru_ still remained.

* * *

><p><span>Author's Note<span>: Well, by the looks of it, there isn't much left to this story. It's probably soon coming to an inevitable end.

This chapter has much of a philosophizing feeling to it. One of the chapters that drained my energy completely but was so immensely wonderful to write. My favorite chapter out of the lot. It correlates with the mood of the last chapter - hoping to establish a bond between these two. Not much fluff in this chapter, much more deep than the others and I still hope you enjoyed it. I know that these kind of chapters are a wee bit annoying to read... So, tell me what you think of this chapter. I really would appreciate if everyone could drop by a review. Thank you for your unconditional love.

Leave behind a review and expect the next (phenomenal) chapter!


	8. The Clarity & The Nervousness

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

* * *

><p><span>Stages of Love<span>

Stage VIII - The Clarity & The Nervousness

The warm breeze blew softly in the occluded office.

Mai sat as usual, staring out of the window while the soft breeze mopped her forehead with tufts of hair. The calm breeze made her face much more radiant than earlier. It had a serene satisfaction on it. Enjoying the gentle wind, Mai continued to daydream, completely distracted, while a pair of observing blue eyes were placed on her, unnoticed.

Naru was staring, rather ogling at his assistant as usual and she would never notice his gaze, as usual. The soft breeze was clouding his mind as he kept staring at his assistant without any reason to do so. He was just - attracted to her serene beauty. Her soft eyes, the tenderness those brown orbs held, her luscious lips - his eyes were taking in all the details that they could.

For a moment, their eyes met allowing him to appreciate the beauty of her eyes. She looked at him, slowly her cheeks burning up. She smiled at him awkwardly, a little pleased that she was not the one who had been caught staring at the other. Her red cheeks seemed to be calming down as he averted his gaze. Even her soft, red cheeks were enough to conquer his mind and heart.

Although he was trying to curb his maniacal urges, he couldn't help but steal glances at his unaware assistant. The outline of her face was illuminated by the orange-red color of the setting sun coming through the window. The moment although was evanescent, it left a deep impression on him.

Mai was indeed _beautiful_.

She may not be the prettiest of _all_ the people on earth but she was beautiful in her own way. She was beautiful to_ him_.

He stared at her, the sudden realization that he considered someone else beautiful irked him. Wasn't he supposed to be a _narcissist_? She turned to look at him and blushed once again. She pointed her finger at him accusingly while she continued to blush, the color only getting severe as each second ticked by.

"What!" She said anxiously. "Is something on my face?" She touched her cheeks hurriedly and pushed the messy bangs on her forehead to the back of her ear. Her actions made him chuckle - was everyone so desperate to look good in front of other people? Why was it a must to look good? He probably couldn't answer the question, he had been quite good-looking right from the time he had been a child. He had never tried to look good and his personality - it was definitely awful.

Although he attracted people towards him through his looks, he always pushed them afar due to his personality.

He looked at her still messing around with her face. Would he have still loved Mai if she had been even a little _less_ beautiful? Would he have loved her had she not been pretty at all? His thoughts seemed rather philosophical.

"W-Why are you still staring?" She muttered nervously. "Is there something on my face?"

"No." He answered calmly.

"Then why are you staring at me?" She asked anxiously.

"No particular reason." He said coolly. She blushed and muttered a few incoherent words.

He smiled at her childishness. Her ability to blush at each and every thing amused him. Even when she was mad at him or just plainly annoyed with him, he couldn't help but smile at her personality. She had an extremely likeable, child-like personality. She always wanted to help, be useful to someone. She always wanted to spread happiness. She was radiant as the bright sun. He looked outside the window, his thoughts focused on Mai.

She had all the qualities that would attract any man towards her but what particularly had attracted him remained a mystery to him. He couldn't fathom what was it that made him like her.

"Mai, tea." He mumbled while remaining absorbed in his pointless thoughts.

Was it her child-like clumsy personality or was it just her beauty?

"Naru, you have to stop asking for tea every single minute." She huffed. "Why can't you stop drinking tea?"

"_No reason_." He said.

"You're really annoying." She muttered. He looked at her - was it probably her personality to be honest that has him entranced? Was it her personality to speak whatever was on her mind without fear what attracted him towards her?

"Mai," he began softly. She looked at him expectantly. "What do you think makes people fall in love?"

"Huh?" She asked, a bit surprised at the question. "W-What?"

"What do you think makes people fall in love?" He repeated the question so that her brain could register it properly this time. He looked at her hopefully, waiting for an appropriate answer.

"W-Why are you asking me?" She stammered. "You can ask Masako or Lin-san." Her answer didn't really make much sense to him, he after all couldn't understand the awkwardness of the situation that he had just caused. He didn't know that asking such an indirect question would make her feel uneasy.

"Mai, I just need an answer. Stop beating around the bush." He said curtly. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow at his impatience. She nodded slowly - agreeing to answer him. She took a chair and sat opposite to him, thoughtfully. After a great deal of thinking, she was finally enlightened with an answer.

"I think it's because we have a heart?" She answered, nonplussed.

"That's the best you can do?" He asked, slightly disappointed at the answer which seemed like nonsense to him. To him love was a result of chemicals and hormones being released at random in the brain - it had nothing to do with one's heart.

"Well, can you do any better?" She huffed, rather annoyed at his blunt question.

"I think people love because of various chemicals released in the brain which range from oxytocin, vasopressin, dopamine-" He was cut off right in the middle of his scientific explanation by Mai. She raised her hand and looked at him, a dumb expression on her face.

"Thanks, smarty pants." She muttered, rolling her eyes. "I think we fall in love because _we want to_. You don't need a _reason_ to fall in love. You only require a heart."

"That's it?" He asked.

"Yes, that's it." She mumbled. He looked at her, a puzzled look on his face. It was as if he was dissatisfied with the answer. He had always expected love to be something very _complex_ after he experienced the roller coaster of emotions, but it was indeed a simple thing. The puzzled expression on his face made Mai chuckle. He looked at her, surprised to see that she was rather laid-back when he was thinking so deeply. Mai smiled at him.

"There is nothing more to it. No need to think so hard." She laughed softly. He nodded slowly.

He couldn't just plainly accept the fact that love doesn't need any reason. Yet, Mai was right - it didn't actually require a reason. Things began to appear with more _clarity_ to Naru. He couldn't have _predicted_ that he would fall in love with her, hence he did not need a _reason_ to fall in love with her. _Attraction_ may require a reason - beauty, kindness, intelligence and what not but Love doesn't see beauty or anything for that matter; they say love is blind - how could it? Love is just a feeling that takes over one without the person even knowing. It just happens, without anybody's consent. Nobody needs a reason to love.

Love doesn't need a reason; it only requires a heart.

He loved her and he didn't need a reason.

...

Now or never.

He had to do it. He had enough evidence that he loved her, he was aware of his own feelings. He had experienced so much in the long run. How long would it take him before he would ask his assistant out? Simply put - when will he confess his heart out? A million years later? He had to do it, whether he liked it or not. He had to muster all his courage and just _ask_.

"Mai, would you like-" Naru just began his sentence when his assistant looked up at him. He was standing right beside her desk while she remained comfortably seated on her usual chair. The expectant look on her face made him realize that his palms were indeed sweaty. His heart clenched and continued to beat painfully. His was aware that his breath was hitched but he had only a single sentence repeating in his mind - now or never. He had to do it, he had no choice, but the moment he looked into those eyes - he went blank.

"What is it?" She asked, a little worried at her boss's strange behavior. She looked at him as he averted his gaze to the mountain of files on her desk. What was he going to say? He came up with the answer immediately. 'Would you like to go out for dinner?' - he repeated the sentence a few million times in his mind before he was sure that he could deliver the sentence coherently. Unfortunately, his eyes clashed once again with his assistant's.

"Do you want me to drop you off?" He asked her, the train of thoughts in his mind crashing, causing a huge malfunction in his brain.

"Huh?" She looked at him and then slowly shifted her gaze towards the watch - it was indeed quite late. She nodded slowly - a hue of pink appearing on her cheeks. She couldn't help but feel uneasy, her boss was staring at her frigidly.

"Hn." He muttered, cursing his cowardice. He wasn't afraid of the supernatural, instead he was _afraid_ of a girl barely _half_ his size? He felt disgusted at himself - he was a coward, nonetheless.

"Shall we go?" She asked, picking up her purse and a few books that she had brought along. He nodded and left to put on his coat.

A soft click resounded as Naru shut the door. He looked at Mai as she stood opposite to the metal door, waiting for the elevator to arrive. He couldn't help but feel - nervous. He wanted to ask his assistant out for dinner, instead he ended up doing the usual errand. He had wanted to put an end to his misery today. He had planned to say those three simple words but he felt hopeless now. He couldn't confess to her now, could he? He wanted the atmosphere to be a perfect one when he would say those words but now the whole plan was destroyed. He was a coward.

"Naru?" His assistant called out. She swished her hands in front of his face to his surprise. He nodded as she pointed towards the opening doors of the elevator.

For once, it was empty.

"Ah, it's empty." She muttered. It seemed to him as if she was relieved too, after all, the experience they had the last time in a cramped elevator wasn't a pleasant one.

He could feel his mind blanking out as his assistant stared at him funnily.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing." He remained coherent. He tried to calm down his chaotic mind, but it seemed to be completely out of his hand. He was unable to even breath normally. He was experiencing something he had never experienced in his whole life - _nervousness_. He was a confident person, he always had been. Yet, this situation completely shook him up. His mind was in a mess, he couldn't decipher why he was acting in such a way and he couldn't even understand his cowardice.

He had wanted to confess today, but he had ruined his own plans. His only plan was to confess over dinner, he couldn't think of a more _original_ plan.

How_ else_ could he do it?

A soft screeching sound from the elevator and suddenly, it stopped. For some reason, he could only see black for a moment. Had he gone blind due to the unbearable nervousness? He raised his eyebrows before realizing that he hadn't gone blind.

The elevator had stopped between the floors, with the lights out.

"W-What the heck?" He heard his assistant mutter uneasily. "A-Are we stuck?"

"Seems so." He said, completely normal while his assistant stared crying out, banging the metal doors of the elevator. She was scared. "Mai, stop it. It should start soon, we do have an electric backup system in this building."

"B-But, it's so dark..." She quivered. A hand brushed past him suddenly. It startled him for a moment but he regained his composure when he felt his assistant hold on to his arm tightly. He coughed slightly to give her a cue to let go of his arm but she only held on to it even more tightly.

"Mai, it's fine." He said softly, trying to pry her hands off his arm.

"Let it be." She said even more softly, in an effort to make him stop trying to pry her hands off. "I'm scared."

"..."

"Say something!" She hollered, the tremor in her voice clearly indicating that his assistant was not in the right state of mind.

"Calm down." He mumbled, rolling his eyes in the darkness. "Do you have a cellphone?"

"The battery is dead." She muttered after much thought. "Do you have one?"

"I don't carry a cellphone." He said bluntly.

"Oh." She replied plainly.

"..."

"Oh, say something! Say _anything_!" Mai pleaded him. He remained silent, but he regretted doing so as his assistant began sobbing. Women - so hysterical. He rolled his eyes once again in the darkness.

"Mai." He said, a little amused at his assistant. "Calm down, will you?"

"You said that the lights would come back soon! Why won't it come back?" She cried.

"Mai, come back to your senses. You should be used to the dark by now." He muttered, slightly annoyed at her outburst. Wasn't she supposed to be a ghost hunters assistant?

"Well I'm not!" She snapped.

"Fine." He said.

"Fine." She said. Again, he fell silent, so did she but her sobs continued. "Don't stay silent..." Her whisper didn't go unnoticed. He sighed.

What was this situation?

He was about to confess, he had planned to ask his assistant out, he failed miserably and now he was stuck in a malfunctioning box of steel with his assistant going mad with the passing of each second. What good could come out of this situation? He couldn't even see her, he could only feel her clinging to his arm. Why was everything around him a complete disaster today? Everything was so dull. Including the current situation. He felt as if everything was going against him. He rested his back slowly against the cold walls of the stuck elevator.

Suddenly, something struck his brain.

It was _dark_. He couldn't see her face. He couldn't see the expression on her face. A perfect chance to confess! He needn't be afraid of the expressions on her face when he says it. He doesn't need to know! Immediately, he felt a little more positive than earlier. Maybe this was indeed a chance. A chance to finally pour out his feelings. He took in a deep breath and remembered whatever he had read in the article on 'how to confess perfectly.' He chuckled - he never knew that reading it would have been so helpful in such a situation. Pushing back all the thoughts in his mind, he concentrated on what he had to do now.

He remembered the first advice - start with a compliment.

"Mai," he began, his voice strained, "_You make really good tea_."

"Huh?" His assistant asked, surprised at her boss's sudden attempt to begin a conversation. "Uh, thank you..."

Now all he had to do was manage his expectations. He had to control himself. The situation was perfect - he was in the perfect place. He didn't need to be embarrassed as no one would overhear this conversation and no one could intrude. He took in a deep breath and tried to locate his assistant. He pried his assistant's hands off his arm and held them in his. He could feel her small, soft hands. He was so glad that he couldn't see her face in the darkness.

"You know Mai..." He began softly, holding her hands tightly in his. He remained silent for a moment.

"What is it?" She asked gently. She felt the hesitation in his voice and tried to be as soft and calming as she could be in her tone.

Naru felt the nervousness creeping to him. He was afraid of her answer. He was afraid of _rejection_, but he had to do it. He had to let her _know_ - let these feelings out. It was perfectly natural for him to feel this way, he was a human being after all. All he had to do now was to let her know.

Light entered his vision all of a sudden, his pupils constricted reflexively. He could see Mai right in front of him. She looked at him anxiously. He immediately realized that the elevator was moving. He was a bit dismayed but he continued to look at her. He did not leave his position and entwined his fingers with hers. He looked into her eyes and parted his lips slowly.

"I love you."

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><p><span>Author's Note<span>: A chapter left to the conclusion of this story! By the way, my longest chapter yet! Hooray!

Thank you for your alerts, favorites and reviews. They are always much appreciated. As usual, tell me what you felt about 'nervous' Naru-chan! As for the beginning - another result of brainstorming on an idea given by Amthyst. I wasn't able to exploit the idea fully but I'm satisfied with how the conversation turned out to be. Ah, I'm so relieved that I was able to even complete this chapter! Especially the end - I hope it was a bit different and less cliche than the usual ways/scenes of a confession. Do tell me how you feel.

Leave behind a review and expect the next (final) chapter!


	9. The Choices & The Happiness

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt

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><p><span>Stages of Love<span>

Stage IX - The Choices & The Happiness

She dropped her purse.

The clattering of the purse and the opening of the elevator door with a huge crowd of people trying to swarm in alarmed Mai. She fumbled for her purse and stepped out of the elevator awkwardly. Her boss followed her as she exited the building, walking at a quickened pace. She was_ afraid_ of what had just happened. She was in a state of shock - she had _never_ expected her boss to confess out of the blue. Few months ago she _would_ have been hoping secretly that he would fall for her but now things were _different_. Her thoughts were different. She had moved on - from her immature self who had been bewitched by her boss's beautiful face.

'I love you.' It echoed in her mind. Unbelievable! How she _had_ wanted to hear it, how she _had_ yearned for it and how easily these words were submerged with an another echo. 'Me or Gene?' Groaning slightly, she was lost in her own world. She failed to notice her boss walking behind her, a worried expression on his face.

What exactly was the situation that she had been through a few moments ago?

Was she imagining things?

Naru followed her as she walked at a mildly quickened pace. He could neither walk alongside her, nor look at her back. He could only see the path on which he walked. He felt funny. Immersed deeply in his thoughts, he didn't even notice that they were halfway through to Mai's apartment. He was waiting for her decision. Her _choice_. He reached a sudden halt as Mai turned towards him.

"I-I can go on my own from here," She mumbled softly, "Thank you." She bowed slightly as an appreciation and then began to walk away from him.

"Mai." He suddenly caught her hand. She winced at this sudden action of his. She looked at him, a permanent blush on her cheeks and her wide eyes anticipating a move from him. What was this - a melodrama? She felt worse than earlier. She didn't want to know this feeling that brought water to her eyes. She was terrified of this feeling which was crushing her. She looked down reflexively, her eyes refusing to meet his.

How could he?

How could he confess after all that he had done to her? How could he do it so _easily_ when he had rejected her so coldly?

"I-I need time." She said defensively, her tone shrill with anxiety. She was afraid that he would ask her to reply back. He looked surprised - he had been caught off his guard. He had wanted to calm her down but he was only worsening the situation, so he realized. He let her hand slowly slip from his grasp. He nodded and looked at her. Her tense shoulders and moist eyes worried him. Had he made a huge mistake? He felt her fingertips slowly brushing away from his.

"Be careful on your way back home." He said, slightly embarrassed that he was hesitant to let go of her hand. She nodded and then turned swiftly. She slowly traced her steps back home, away from him. He watched her disappear into the dimly illuminated street. He could feel his heart ramming against his chest. The expression on her face made him regret his action. Was it a mistake to say those words? Shouldn't she be happy that he had confessed, yet why was she so - unhappy? He was afraid all of a sudden. Afraid of her answer. Afraid of letting go of her hand.

He was afraid that once he let go, he won't be able to grasp it again.

He sighed and shook his head. He was being too irrational.

...

What was wrong with her?

She was in a situation where she should be happy, consider herself lucky but she felt none of that ecstasy. Mai hugged the pillow closer to her chest. She had been lying on her bed for over an hour - sleepless. Her eyes wavering to the ceiling. The blank, dark ceiling. She couldn't shut her eyes. Each time she tried she would be reminded of what had happened earlier.

A situation that she _would_ have yearned for - when Naru would profess his love to her. It was happening. Yet, how unhappy she was! She couldn't understand why her chest tightened each time she remembered his voice calling out to her, saying those three magical words. Was she overreacting? Why wasn't she happy? After all, it was a chance in a lifetime. She was in a situation where both the outcomes wouldn't hurt her. She smiled radiantly for a moment when a certain thought crossed her mind. She could reject him and fulfill her revenge! She could definitely do that. Rolling on to the other side of the bed, she sighed. What good would it do? Wouldn't it hurt them both?

Although she could accept his proposal and live a life similar to a fairytale, with her extremely handsome prince charming, she couldn't imagine herself accepting his proposal. She was frightened of something. Something which she couldn't figure out. She groaned - what exactly was wrong with her? Which girl wouldn't want a handsome man such as Naru? He had everything - riches, good looks and intelligence, more importantly - he had declared that he was in love with her. What more could she ask for? Yet, she was afraid. Terrified of something deep within.

Was she in love with Gene as her boss had once told her?

She shook her head violently. She had definitely_ liked_ Gene. He had a radiant smile, a smile which attracted her, but she yearned for something completely different from his warm smile. She had always yearned for _Naru_ to smile. The same way 'dream Naru' did. She had always wanted _Naru_ to smile. She groaned and rolled to the other side of the bed. Why was this so frustrating? Although it boosted her pride, it also hurt her deep within. Why would she even want to go out with a man who had plainly rejected her, confused that she was in love with his brother?

She didn't want to go to work tomorrow. She didn't want to face Naru.

What a coward she was!

Mai turned and hugged her pillow tightly, engulfed by the silence and darkness of the night. Her thoughts were spinning around aimlessly. She had yet again reached a dead end with the reasoning that she had come up with earlier. She was haunted by his words - why was this so hard? Why was it _hard_ to accept that Naru was in love with her?

She sat up with a jolt.

Pushing her hair behind her ear, she stared at the white bedspread. Was it hard to accept that Naru was in love with her? - _No_.

She had always wished for it. She had always hoped for it, before she had been rejected though. Things were different now but still, it would in no way be difficult for her to accept his feelings, his confession. She was afraid of something completely different. After all the heart-break that she had been through, she was afraid of only a single thing.

She was afraid that she was _still_ in love with Naru.

Even after being rejected, she still had feelings for such a man.

How _could_ she?

Tugging to her pillow even more tightly, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

...

For the umpteenth time, Naru heard himself sighing involuntarily.

He was usually not such a depressed person. He was in a situation that troubled him deeply. He felt as if he was trapped in a room that had no window or door - he felt awful. Why had he been so desperate to confess to her?

He had only worsened the situation. He should have been considerate of her feelings. Why had he grown so _selfish_ all of a sudden? Why had he turned into a person who only cared about his feelings?

A few moments more and it would be the usual time his assistant entered at. He was waiting impatiently, hoping that he would hear her footsteps as she entered. He hoped that she would come to work and face him. He could only hope. Moreover, he was slightly hopeful that she would hold an answer to his proposal. Again, he could just _hope_ that it was a positive one.

Then again, there are two sides to a coin. What could he possibly do if his assistant rejected him outright? He couldn't do anything. He felt bitter. He felt hopeless.

He sighed. Why was this so difficult?

Each second seemed like eternity. When would she come? _When_?

Tapping his foot out of impatience, he buried his face in his hands. He was somewhat a lot more pessimistic than usual. Although he hoped that she would walk in through that door, he was also terrified of her arrival. He was unaware of how he should react. How he should behave in front of her. He was afraid and he began concocting a few sentences in his mind that he would say to her.

He had no time to plan, he heard the soft click of a door knob turning.

...

For once, Mai felt a strange fear enveloping her as she turned the knob to open the door.

The door to S.P.R, a door that would lead to her boss.

"Mai," A voice she did not want to recognize called out to her, "Tea."

She sighed reflexively. Though, she couldn't figure out if it was a sigh of relief or of disappointment. As soon as she heard footsteps coming from the direction of Naru's desk, she dashed to the kitchen. She was hoping that she wouldn't have to face him so soon. She hoped God would just give her _another_ five minutes.

Her wish was granted. She got another five minutes for making the tea, throughout which she had not laid her eyes upon Naru but now she _had_ to take the tea to _him_. She couldn't help but hope that he wasn't at his desk. She just hoped that he was somewhere else. Keeping her fingers crossed she peeped into his office.

"Oh." She muttered, a little disappointed to see that her boss was sitting right where she had hoped him not to be. He was flipping through pages accumulated in his files. She knocked on the open door and as soon as he looked up, she averted her gaze to the carpeted floor. She could just see the tilting of his chin, a nod to her entrance. Mai stepped in carefully, trying to be as soundless as she could. She couldn't look at him. Looking at the floor, she carefully placed the tea-cup on his desk and stood there for a few seconds before leaving.

The moment she left, she heard a soft sigh coming from his direction. How painful it sounded!

Still looking at the floor, a sigh escaped her too. She was being _selfish_. She was behaving as if the whole world revolved just around her. How cruel she was! She realized that they were in the same boat - struggling with each others feelings, hoping that they could attain _happiness_. A soft sob escaped her lips. Biting her lips, she controlled herself from being too hysterical.

She couldn't understand what she wanted.

Was it happiness or revenge?

Taking in a deep breath, she stomped her foot in an attempt to calm herself down. Growling softly, she cursed her cowardice. She knew she wanted to be together with him - which girl wouldn't want to? She was lying to herself. She was afraid of her own frightening, messed up feelings. On one side she wanted to avenge her broken heart and on the other side she wanted to accept his feelings.

Her mind was in disarray.

Taking in another deep breath, she hoped that she would calm down and the heavy feeling in her throat would disappear. She tried to control herself from breaking down. When she was having it so hard, how much_ more_ hard would it be for Naru? After all, he had to be ready to face even rejection.

The amount of courage it would have taken him to confess to her!

Mai sat down on her chair, placing her elbows on her desk and burying her face in her hands. She couldn't even imagine what he was going through. She wondered how painful it was for him. She couldn't even _know_ how he had felt all along all the time. He hid it so well under his wooden face. He hid it so well that she couldn't even know that he had been going through such emotions. That he had been in love with her all the time.

If it was so painful for her to not face him, how much _more_ painful would it be for him that she was not facing _him_?

What an idiot she must have been to be unaware of such feelings!

If she rejected him, things would be awkward and hard for them both. Why should she reject him? She had no reason to. Then again, she had no reason to accept his feelings.

'Love doesn't need a reason,' she sighed softly, her own words echoing in her mind.

Although it would give her immense joy to reject him, that sort of happiness would be short-lived. She had no use for such a cruel happiness, she wanted to be happy for eternity. Then again, if their relationship doesn't end up well won't they be hurt again...?

She didn't want to lose him.

Although she had two choices, she couldn't afford to lose him.

It all depended on her. Her one and only choice. Either to be with him or to lose him.

He was very important to her, he was her family. If things didn't end up well, won't they hate each other? Won't it be awkward to be around each other? She couldn't lose him. She wanted to stay with him forever...

What an idiot she would be to reject a man who loved her!

She stood up, finally things becoming more clear. Her choices becoming more clear. She had prided herself on having grown mature after she had been rejected but she was still the same immature idiot. She laughed softly. What an idiot she had been since yesterday! She had been severely over-reading into things and had overreacted. She took in a deep breath and glanced in the direction of Naru's office. She could feel her shoulders getting tense, her feet seeming wobbly all of a sudden.

How was she ever going to say it?

Slowly making her way to Naru's office, she knocked on his door. He looked up and spontaneously her eyes traveled to the floor. She heard another soft sigh and then shaking her head violently, she slowly looked up at him. Their eyes met momentarily and her brain short-circuited.

Oh, how was she _ever_ going to do it?

"Uh, Naru," She mumbled self-consciously. The distressed look on his face worried her a little but she continued softly, "I-I need to say, uh, something."

"..." He looked at her, his demeanor a lot more calmer than earlier, yet his hunched shoulders and clenched fists told Mai how anxious he was. Her eyes were burning up once again, so were her cheeks as she continued to look at him.

"I need to say something." She repeated, mustering all her courage.

"Yes?" He asked placidly, trying not to terrify his assistant more than she already was.

"I'm a coward..." She said softly. He looked at her, raising his eyebrows slightly. Mai sighed, she had been a coward the whole time. Naru was _too important_ to her. That is why she had been a coward the whole time. Biting her lips, she looked at the floor before taking in another deep breath. She couldn't afford to lose him!

"Mai, are you okay?" Naru asked concernedly.

"I'm fine." She said with determination. "To me, Naru is very important! Everybody at S.P.R! Every single person is important to me. That is why I don't want to lose you." She began sobbing softly, tears streaking across her cheeks. Wiping them off she looked at him hoping that he was paying attention to her.

"..." He continued looking at her as she wiped the tears off her offending cheek.

"If our relationship doesn't end up well, we would end up _hating_ each other. We would end up being awkward and it'll be hard to be a family anymore! I don't want that." She cried softly. "That's why, I..." Why was it so hard to say it? Naru shook his head and then walked towards her. He took her hand in his and smiled.

"Woman are too hysterical." He commented. She wiped her tears and glared at him.

"Well! I'm having a heartfelt confession here!" She snapped at him. "As I was saying, I don't want to lose you-"

"Idiot." He cut her off without much problem. "Why don't you just say 'I love you too'?" She looked at him, a hue of pink appearing on her cheeks.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" She huffed, her face a beautiful shade of red by now. "Don't ruin the mood you idiot-" While she began rambling, a soft smile graced his lips. Entranced by his smile, Mai looked at him agape, still continuing to ramble. He slowly caught her in an embrace, holding her as tight as he could. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he allowed his face to rest on her shoulder, breathing softly into her ear. Her small face landed on his chest. He held her tightly, savoring the moment that he had always imagined and hoped for.

"I love you." He said softly, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She blushed. "I'll _make it so_ that we won't end up in a situation where we wouldn't want to see each others faces."

"..." She remained silent, highly embarrassed by his sudden declaration. Naru was - so not Naru. Finally, gathering all her courage she whispered softly, "I-I love you too."

He had never felt so happy before. Although loving someone is a joy, having someone love you back is an even more immense joy. He had never felt such an immense happiness in his life. He had finally obtained her. He was finally holding her in his arms as he had always wished for.

"Mai." He whispered softly into her ear.

"Naru..." She slowly answered to his call, a warm fuzzy feeling enveloping her.

Placing another kiss on her cheek, he caught her in a eloquent silence. The most eloquent silence; that of two mouths meeting in a kiss.

* * *

><p><span>Author's Note<span>: So, that's it. Why do I feel that this was the toughest chapter to write...? I hope you all are satisfied with the end.

Hope you enjoyed this roller-coaster ride. I dearly hope you did. Thank you for reading the complete story. I appreciate it. As usual, thank you for your reviews, alerts and favorites. I wouldn't have been able to complete it without your encouragement! Do tell me how you felt about this chapter. This chapter may be a little tiring to read with the sea of emotions being expressed. I tried to limit myself while writing down how they felt but it just ended up being too elaborated and dramatic. Still, I hope you enjoyed reading it to the end. Thank you. I hope I'll be back again soon with a better plot and with better writing skills.

Do leave behind a review!


	10. The Familiarity & The Comfort

Disclaimer : I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><span>Epilogue<span>

Stage X - The Familiarity & The Comfort

"Would you like some bottled water?"

Mai snapped out of her reverie. She looked at a figure, in front of her behind the table. A tall woman, slightly on the overweight side, with unruly brown hair smiled at her kindly.

"Yes, thank you." She replied, her voice sounding hoarse.

Her eyes followed the slow, graceful movement of the woman's hand as she handed over a tray. A bottle of water and a plate of _Yakisoba_ with a new set of chopsticks in a packet. Some sachets of salt and pepper on the side. Mai bowed slightly as she made the exchange with money. The woman bowed too.

Turning to her right, she looked around for a place to sit. The small cafe was buzzing with life. Mai meandered her way through the bursting cafe before she found a secluded spot against the window. She pulled out the chair, feeling a spark as the cool metal of the handle struck against her skin. Placing her tray carefully on the round, marbled table she made herself comfortable on the chair.

Snapping the chopsticks apart, Mai dug into her food. Ungraceful though it seemed, Mai was too hungry to bother.

She glanced now and then at the pastry section. Her eyes attracted to one particular chocolate coated, heavenly piece of cake lying so temptingly on a silver platter. She probed for her purse in her pocket. Opened it carefully, and noted the almost emptiness.

"Damn."

Glancing at her watch, she nodded to herself. She had fifteen more minutes before she would have to run like a madman to her office.

Stuffing her mouth with noodles, she groaned when she dropped intermittent pieces of fried noodles on her uniform. She could already feel it staining through the fabric. Looking for a tissue paper desperately and finding none on her table, Mai raised her eyes to the counter. A large bunch of tissue papers lying on the counter. She almost got up when a tissue paper got shoved in her face _elegantly_.

"Ah!" She almost crashed into the stranger's hand. She took the paper with an awkward smile and looked up at the person holding it.

Familiar black hair, familiar blue eyes and a very familiar condescending smirk greeted her. He pulled out the chair opposite to her and seated himself, as if it was very _natural_ to choose a seat opposite to her. Placing his tray on the table, the continued to stare at each other.

"Oh!" Was her intelligible reaction. His smirk widened.

"Not a very polite reaction." He stated nonchalantly. Mai would have taken it as a joke but considering the personality of the speaker, she dismissed the possibility of a joke within a millisecond.

"Excuse me for being impolite," She grumbled and continued in a whisper, "Mr. Perfect."

"I know." He said, plainly.

"What?" Her eyes searched him, surprised.

"I know _I'm_ perfect." He said, sounding almost bored as he stated a most brazen fact.

"Well, why is Mr. Perfect lunching, er, snacking at such a place?" She asked as she eyed his tray. A plate of sandwich and a very prominent teacup. Mai snorted at the sight of a very common utensil. He raised a single eyebrow elegantly and Mai rolled her eyes. Continuing to fumble with her chopsticks, she watched him unwrap his sandwich and take a bite.

"Staring is rude." Naru stated, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

"What!" She roared. "I was not staring."

"Deceive yourself as much as you want."

Mai narrowed her eyes dangerously at him and scoffed a very common, "Don't be so sure, you narcissist."

Tearing her eyes from him, she focused them on the tempting section of amazing collection of pastry displayed in front of her. Unconsciously, licking her lips, she looked at her tray. _Yakisoba_ sure looked less tempting now...

"Mai, stop drooling."

"Hm," she replied, unconsciously wiping the corner of her mouth with her hand. Immediately enough, her gaze rose to a smirking Naru. She narrowed her eyes.

"What?" He asked.

"Buy me _that_ cake." Mai said, her thoughts turning into words before she could even process them. She felt surprised at her own request.

"Why should I?"

"Because you are my boss and you pay me _so less_ that I don't have any money left despite being stingy about groceries and clothes and saving _every penny_ I got for _New Year_ from my neighbors." She growled. He looked at her, once again the elegant eyebrow raising itself. She was tempted to roll her eyes but she remained still so that she could seem condescending _for once_.

"You still get money for _New Year_?" He questioned.

"Well, yes, I do." She mumbled, all of a sudden quite shy. "I'm still a kid!"

"At eighteen?"

"Yes, dammit!" She growled. Mai could feel her cheeks flaming. She hated it when Naru acted all superior to her. _This was all his fault, all his fault, all his fa-_

Naru slowly lifted himself and walked to the opposite corner. Standing next to the display he pointed at the chocolate coated cake and she nodded brightly. He smirked at her childishness and purchased it. Bringing the current source of her joy to the table, he sat down once again and pushed the plate towards her. Mai almost went for the cake with her chopsticks. She heard his soft chuckle and blushed to the tip of her hair. Quickly, she reached for the spoon clumsily and scooped a generous piece of the cake.

She could imagine Naru cringe as she closed her eyes in pleasure when the chocolate hit her taste buds but the moment she opened her eyes she found Naru reaching for the cake with a spoon.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Mai hollered. He paid no attention to her and took a small portion of the cake.

"I paid for it."

"Stingy."

Mai watched him eat it. His nose scrunched in disgust as the sugary substance came in contact with his overly sensitive tongue. Mai laughed at his expression. Naru reached for his teacup which turned out to be empty quite _conveniently_. She once again laughed at his disappointed expression. Finishing the last bite of her cake, Mai got up quickly. Pulling Naru out of his chair, she locked arms with him. Mai looked at him, the slight pink appearing on his cheeks.

She chuckled. Mai was familiar with his comforts and discomforts and she knew that Naru couldn't handle certain aspects of her nature. She grinned at him. His blushed a bit more brightly.

They had grown closer in a matter of months. They were familiar with each other. Comforted by each other. The initial burning passion may have subdued but they were now left with an equilibrium. An equilibrium that made them feel comforted. A feeling of love. A secure, familiar, comforting feeling of love. They knew their strengths, their personalities and their likes and dislikes and Mai could want no more.

They understood each other perfectly.

Mai rushed him to the counter, fished through her purse desperately for some money and asked for some tea. Handing over the steaming cup to Naru, Mai smiled as he took it from her with a small appreciative smile on his face.

"Why did you eat the cake if you hate sweets?" She asked, all of a sudden curious.

"So that you would buy me tea."

Mai saw with horror as the manipulative, condescending smirk made it's way slowly to his lips.

"You-!"

* * *

><p><span>Author's Note<span>: A year later, I'm convinced that the ending was not really great. I decided to play a little with the "meeting in a cafe and then romancing" idea a little and it turned out quite well. There are slight traces of OOCness in both the characters but I feel that is what love does to you. I hope you enjoyed the short insight into their relationship.

_Yakisoba: _A kind of Japanese fried noodles.

_New Year Money_: Also known as Otoshidama, is a custom where Japanese adults give money to children for whom they care.

On an ending note, I haven't really proofread so forgive me for all the mistakes I made. Please, leave a word or two behind!


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